


Belle Epoque

by laCommunarde



Category: The Flash (TV 2014)
Genre: Big Bang, F/M, M/M, belle epoque au, coldflash - Freeform, coldflashbigbang, spoilers for The Flash Season 1
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-09-25
Updated: 2016-09-25
Packaged: 2018-08-17 04:33:55
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 15
Words: 51,619
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8130539
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/laCommunarde/pseuds/laCommunarde
Summary: 1885, Paris: Barry Alain, student of l'Ecole Polytechnique, STAR Labs Dvision decides to accompany his friend, Cisco Ramon see the beautiful ballerina Lisa Star at the Paris Opera Ballet. Somehow this leads to him having to work with one of the most disreputable thiefs in Paris, Leonard Snart to bring down a conspiracy involving mobs, anarchists and possibly time travel.





	1. L’Ecole Polytechnique

The year was 1885, fourteen years after the tumultuous events of the Paris Commune; five years after a general amnesty was made to those who had fought for the Commune; two years after Henri, Comte de Chambord had died after steadfastly refusing the tricolor and a parliamentary monarchy and to name an heir to his claim; and six years after the republicans had wrested control of the Senate from the monarchists anyway, making the Marseillaise and the Tricolor the national anthem and flag; eleven years after Victor Hugo had published Quartrevingt-Treize and brought the nation weeping to its knees; two years after Zola had published Au Bonheur des Dames describing the new movement in consumerism; and three years after the Jules Ferry laws implemented free and mandatory public education – this education was also secular as opposed to the previous Catholic education system, much to the joy of many of the scientists at L’Ecole Polytechnique, premier university for the sciences in Paris, some of whom had been making noises in this regard since before the Second Empire had ended in 1870. 

One department where over half the professors were making such noises was STAR Laboratories at the Polytechnique, the premier research lab which housed such excellent minds as the head of the department Dr. and Professor Eobard Wells and physicists Dr. and Professor Martin Stein and his beloved Clarissa, bio-chemists such as the brilliant and elegant Dr. Caitlin Raymond and her assistant and husband, engineer Ronald Raymond, and extraordinary inventor Cisco Ramon, still a doctoral student and being mentored by Professor Wells, who let his co-inventors put their claims to fame on the devices provided he got to use them and continue to research the technology. In this department as well, was their dedicated team of grad students, Barry Alain (mentored by Professor Wells), Wally Ouest (mentored by Cisco Ramon and also inventing a few things of his own), and Jefferson Jackson (mentored by Professor Martin Stein). 

The young Monsieur Alain had finished helping his esteemed mentor, Professor Wells, with the current project, a treatise on the possible implications of time travel. He stacked the papers and moved them to the edge of his desk and peered through the door to see his mentor still walking around his office, talking with his younger coworker, one of the few women who had both graduated with honors and a doctorate and was also hired to work anywhere in the school let alone in their department, the brilliant bio-chemist Dr. Caitlin Raymond. 

If Professor Wells’ expression was any indication, Dr. Raymond seemed to be winning their discussion. However it would also take a while to get Professor Wells from the considering and mild put out expression to being fully convinced. Though he had no doubt that if anyone could convince him, it would be Dr. Raymond. What they were arguing about could be anything – he could neither hear them clearly enough to make out what they were saying or read lips. They would without a doubt inform the department of the results from their argument as soon as Professor Wells had been convinced. However, as that might take a while, and as he really had nothing to do until he could hand over the papers he had edited, now would therefore be an excellent time to catch up on his sister’s newest manuscript. He pulled it out of his bag and opened it to where he had the bookmark and started reading the delightful book Iris was publishing.   
He was so deep into it, he did not notice the figure standing over him until he became aware of an irritated, impatient, and yet amused – Professor Wells was always amused when it came to his more embarrassing moments – throat clearing. He looked up like a deer caught by hounds and almost fell out of his seat. “Professor Wells.”

The amused expression only increased. “Monsieur Alain.”

“My calculations are finished. I made my notes on the last two pages with page numbers as requested-.” Barry started then glanced at his mentor’s face and smiled up at him.

“Are you enjoying…” Professor Wells surveyed the manuscript’s sensational cover, its picture and title, and found the by line, “Your sister’s newest and no doubt very popular fiction on some horrible crime or other?”

“Uh. Yes, Professor Wells. I was going to tell you I was done but I didn’t want to interrupt you and Dr. Raymond.”

Professor Wells sighed. “Yes, well, it appears we are going to do a few more tests. She isn’t convinced of the veracity of my studies yet. She will be.”

“By running more simulations?”

“Yes. Are these the calculations?”

“Yes, Professor.”

“You left your comments in it?” Wells did not wait for the answer, instead picking up the work and flipping through it. “Yes, yes. Good. Very good.” He flipped the sheets back and handed his assistant another pile. “Here is batch 2 of them. If you want to go home after these are done, you may.”

“Yes, Professor. Thank you.”

“And where is your office mate? I notice M. Ramon isn’t at his desk.”

“Uh, he said he was off testing something.”

Professor Wells’ eyes danced. “I can’t wait. Do you happen to know where?”

M. Alain shook his head, then frowned. “Actually, Professor, I think he’s in with M. Raymond.”

Professor Wells narrowed his eyes. “As long as whatever he’s inventing doesn’t blow up this time.” He started back into his office. “Oh, and M. Alain?”

“Yes?”

“I also expect a report of that book on my desk tomorrow morning as well.”

M. Alain stared at his back, unsure if he was joking or not, but deciding that it was better to air on the side of caution as write the report on the book.

\--

A young man in a plaid waistcoat and shirtsleeves, holding a still smoking device and looking singed himself came in when Barry was halfway done reading through batch 2.

“Cisco, how goes it?” He nodded at the device.

Cisco Ramon, dark hair standing on edge and looking like he had burnt some of it off, held up the blackened device. “We got power to it. It lit up and everything. Then it made a popping noise and the thing exploded.” He indicated a broken glass.

Barry stared at him. “How much got burnt?”

“Well, we had water, so not too much.” Cisco was unaware that he looked like his definition of “not too much” might be a little off.

Barry gestured at Cisco’s singed hair. “Your… umm.”

Cisco reached up, felt that his hair did not end where he thought it would and sighed. “I’ll trim it tonight.”

Barry nodded. “Professor Wells was looking for you earlier.” 

Cisco set down the device as though he could not let go fast enough. “Did he say what it was about?”

“No, he just said not to blow it up again.”

Cisco shook his head. “Let me go see him.” He looked in the direction of Dr. Wells’ office. “Do you happen to know where he is?”

Barry nodded down the hall. “I think he went down to Professor Stein’s.”

“Thank you,” Cisco said, heading down the hall to see what Professor Wells wanted him to check. 

Barry continued to work on the second section of the time travel treatise, making notes where more was needed and looking forward to what Cisco would eventually make once Dr. Wells had sorted out whether it was even possible. 

Afterwards, just in case Professor Wells was not joking with him when he asked for the book report, Barry took out a piece of paper and began writing up the report.


	2. The Beautiful Ballerina and the Thief in the Blue Waistcoat

“Hey, Barry.” He lifted his head to see Cisco standing in his door. “I need someone to accompany me to the ballet tomorrow night. I know it’s short notice. But could you?”

“I didn’t know you like ballet,” Barry said.

Cisco’s face broke into a grin. “There’s this ballerina. She’s beautiful, and she always dances so beautifully. Also, I’ve loved the stories since my uncle used to take me as a child.”

Barry laughed. “She will be there tomorrow I take it?” he concluded.

Cisco nodded, a sappy grin coming to his face as he looked at Barry again, eyes pleading. 

Barry smiled at his friend. “Of course, I’ll accompany you.”

“Thank you,” Cisco said. “You’re the best.”

“Have you been before?” Barry asked.

Cisco nodded. “Yeah.”

“With someone?” 

“Typically, my co-inventor. You remember him, Hartley. Then I went by myself. But I’d kind of like to get her autograph, and I can’t go alone for that.”

Barry nodded. “Well, you aren’t, are you? I’m going with you.”

\--

The following evening, Cisco stood before the mirror in the shared office at the Polytechnique and held up first one waistcoat and coat set then another. “Which do you think is better – this one or the other?” 

Barry considered. Both were in Cisco’s style, which tended to be very dressed down, anything that would look good with their red stripes tended to be black, and while they could always wear their uniforms, as Barry intended to, it might not make the best impression on a ballerina. Or it might – who was Barry to say what made a ballerina at the Opera Ballet find someone attractive? “I’d wear the cream waistcoat,” he said. “But the coat from the first one. It looks nicer. And why don’t you wear your professor pin, so she doesn’t think you’re a student?” 

“Are you kidding? I’ve decided I’m not going to meet her.”

“Then why are you getting so dressed up?”

“So we can get into the ballet, Barry. Plus, it’s the principle of the thing, and just in case, you know?” Cisco was buttoning up the cream waistcoat nonetheless.

“You should. Go request her autograph. Maybe give her a bouquet of roses,” Barry suggested.

Cisco flushed and would not hear anything further on the subject. However, as they arrived at the Opera House to see the Paris Opera Ballet, he noticed that Cisco had his autograph book tucked into his coat and gave Cisco a small smile.

They were led to the section where their seats were by an usher who looked them up and down and gave a haughty sniff. As they were led through the main hall, Barry observed the finely dressed crème de la crème of society. “These people are dressed like they each have a million francs!”

“Barry, some of them might,” Cisco shushed him. 

Barry found himself nodding, because of course there would be people at the ballet who had that much money, but he had never actually imagined seeing any of them. His eyes checked around the entrance hall with the Grand Staircase, to see the impressive architecture of the Opera, which until then he had only heard about in passing, all covered in gold and stones and paintings. It made for an impressive scene, and one Barry would have to describe to the resident artist at the police station as well as to his foster sister, Iris, made even more so by all the gentlemen in their black tailcoat and exquisitely cut white or black waistcoats and stylish facial hair and the ladies in their pastel finery, drapes and flounces looking like towering, proud, bouquets of flowers – he remembered Iris complaining that bustles had made a come-back, but he had never realized until now how much of a come-back they had made and how much more fabric the dresses took: as the ladies turned onto the central staircase, their dresses flared out behind them by several stairs; it was all some of the gentlemen could do not to fall on them, which was very disorganized of them, particularly as at least some of them were greeting the women as though they had last been here and seen said women the previous week. 

As he tried not to chuckle at one of them who was all but fawning on a young woman in pink, his eyes were caught by someone halfway up the staircase who was standing still, leaning back and watching the people walk past with a bored posture but a considering expression. Barry’s eyes lingered on him: clean-shaven, sapphire lapels glinting to bring out his eyes, hair closer cropped than was entirely fashionable, at least among Barry’s friends both at the Polytechnique and the police department and the other men on the stairs, and the intelligence with which he was surveying the others on the staircase, as though making a selection. 

“Barry.” Cisco broke his study. He turned to see Cisco watching him from under the staircase and nodded, walking after him. “You see something?”

“I was looking at the people on the staircase.”

“They are impressive, aren’t they?” the usher said.

“Yes, sir,” Barry replied. “I should love to bring my nieces and nephews here once I have them. Do you have children? Do they like looking at it?”

The usher smiled and soon enough they got him talking about his children – a girl and a boy – and by the time he had walked them to their seats, as opposed to just the section, they had talked him into trying to get the boy into l’Ecole Polytechnique. 

After they were seated, the lights went dark three times in succession – “That means everyone should come in and get seated,” Cisco told Barry – and went dark altogether a few minutes after that. 

The stage curtain opened, revealing a pastoral scene, with ballerinas folded up like birds. As they unfolded, Cisco pointed out one. “That’s her; that’s Mlle. Star. She’s now a premier danseur. When I first started coming here, she was only a coryphée, but they were so impressed by her, that she’s rising through the ranks of ballerina rather quickly. Watch how talented she is.” 

Barry nodded and watched. Cisco began toying with his autograph book halfway through the first act. 

“Listen, Cisco, you should go get her autograph.” 

Cisco shook his head, insisting, “No, Barry, it would be really awkward and I don’t even know what I’d say.” He put the autograph book away, but it was in his hands again by the beginning of act two. 

“I’m serious, Cisco. What can it hurt to try?”

Cisco shrugged. 

Barry grabbed him as he went to put back into his coat again. “Come on. Go try. Say something like ‘I loved your performance.’”

Cisco nodded and started to smile, with a smile that only grew through the second act. After the show, he and Barry slipped out during the applause to find the nice usher again. “Can you direct us to where the ballerinas come off stage?” The usher raised an eyebrow. “He would like to give Mlle. Star roses,” Barry insisted. “And tell her that her performance was wonderful. He’s been coming to see her dance for like five years now.” 

The usher’s lips turned up at the corners. “Follow me, gentlemen.”

They made their way down a hallway. Already people were gathering. Barry caught a glimpse of sapphire blue shine and looked up to see the same clean-shaved individual he had seen before the ballet. The man was walking slowly, meandering along, but as he passed a group of gentlemen talking about the ballet or the horseraces, he lifted the nearest man’s tailcoat and slid his watch out of his pocket. The gentleman never noticed, but the man in the blue waistcoat must have felt Barry’s gaze for he looked up and met his eyes. His eyes narrowed. He glanced Barry up and down, raised an eyebrow and gave a wry expression that could only be termed a smile by similarity of muscle movements, and ran into another man, putting his hand against the man’s chest and into his tailcoat and coming away holding his wallet. There was a mumbled apology as the man in blue tucked it away into his own tailcoat, bowing a little over it to excuse his hand being near his chest. He flashed Barry another smile and moved onto the next group, inclining his head at the ladies even as he touched the elbow of the man next to him and dipped his hand into the man’s greatcoat pocket. The ladies and gentlemen had not noticed what he was doing with his hands, but several ladies fanned themselves and one turned to another much younger woman and said, “Isn’t he a darling?” He bowed to the young woman, miming brushing his lips against the back of her gloved hand and saying something that made her blush. He let go of her hand a moment later, saying something else that brought a small smile to the young woman’s face. The thieving conman.

“Cisco,” he said, but his friend and the usher were already walking ahead. He glanced at the man in the blue waistcoat again and met the man’s eyes, watching him, and back away as the man shot him a smirk then looked back at what a pretty young lady with red curls was saying.

The usher was showing Cisco to a door. “There is the door to the backstage. If you go through there then along to the left, you will find the ballerina’s corridor.”

“Thank you,” Cisco said to the usher then he and Barry slipped backstage to give the rose bouquet Cisco held to her.

They found the room, and Cisco knocked. “Come in,” said a voice inside. Cisco glanced over at Barry, licking his lips. Barry gave him a little shove and held the door open as he entered. “Mademoiselle,” he greeted before Barry let the door slid shut.

\--

“I made a fool of myself. An absolute fool, Barry.”

They were at the café across the square from the Opera, and Cisco had his head in his hands at a booth near the bar. “But she gave you her autograph?” Barry confirmed.

“Yeah, but only because she took pity on me. I couldn’t even speak.” He dragged his hands down his face and peered over them at Barry. Barry offered him a drink. He took a chug of it. Halfway through, he did a spit-take. “Barry, it’s her.” 

“Yeah, I know you have a crush on her but-.”

Cisco kicked him under the table then gestured at the woman who had just come in the door. She had changed – her hair was no longer in a tight bun but instead tied up to frame her face in a loose halo, and her clothes were no longer the pastel costume of a ballerina from a Degas painting, but instead a pretty if muted gray-blue walking dress, in much the style and practicality Iris wore daily, covering her from neck to wrist and with a lovely gray capelet thrown around her shoulders – but she was still recognizable as the beautiful Lisa Star. She glanced at them through her eyelashes then walked over the bar, setting down her bag in her lap. She raised her gloved hand and called over the waiter. “Waiter, a cider please.” 

He inclined his head at her. “Any soup today, Mademoiselle?”

She shook her head. “I’ve had your soup. It’s enough to feed a herd of elephants and tasty enough to feed a herd of Opera patrons.”

“Look out. Here comes one of the patrons now. Want me to deal with him?” The waiter and she both cast a glance over her shoulder where the door had just opened.

“I’ll let you know if I do.” 

The man sat down next to her. “Such a pity to drink alone. May I offer you a drink?” He leaned closer than propriety dictated, and his expression said he knew it.

She did not move over, but instead lifted her drink. “I already have one, Monsieur.” She took a sip.

He seemed taken aback. “Well, may I get you food then? Such a beauty shouldn’t be eating alone.”

“Such a beauty will not be. I am meeting someone here.”

“Well, he’s not here yet. I say you should abandon him and come eat with me, and maybe afterward we can go for a walk.” He put his hand on her glove. 

She looked down at it and back at him before peeling it off. “Monsieur, I am waiting for my brother. He will be very cross if you take me anywhere.”

“Since when has a brother stopped anyone?” the man said. “What he doesn’t know, won’t hurt him and won’t hurt you.” He put his hand back on her arm and curled his fingers around it.

Her eyes danced in the light. “I suggest you unhand a stranger, Monsieur. My brother has quite the temper.”

Cisco was already on his feet. “Mademoiselle, is this man bothering you?”

She smiled at him.

“Monsieur, the lady wants you to leave her alone, as she has made clear. Please leave. Actually, Mademoiselle, would you like to sit with my friend and me until your brother arrives?”

She glanced at the man and gave her hand to Cisco. “Yes, I think I would, Monsieur.” As Cisco led her over to the table, and Barry scooted Cisco’s stuff around to be next to him, the other man huffed and left through the door. 

Mlle. Star watched him go then turned to Cisco. “Now don’t tell me you did that just so you could take his place,” she joked.

Cisco began to stumble over his words. “I would never! Well, I mean I would love to - I’ve had a crush on you since you were a back ballerina!” His wince deepened. “I mean, I would never take advantage of you like that!” He began chewing on his lips. “Unless you want!” He glanced at her to see whether she was ready to smack him. 

She leaned forward and kissed his cheek. 

“Did you just…?” He reached up to touch his cheek.

“Yes.” She sat in the booth. “Now sit.” She turned to Barry. “Hello, who are you?”

“Barry Alain,” he greeted.

“Lisa Star,” she gave her hand. He bowed over it. Cisco sat down beside him. “Now what do you do other than come see every ballet since five years ago?” she asked.

Cisco spluttered. 

“Well, he works at STAR Laboratories in L'École Polytechnique as one of its star engineers and inventors.”

Cisco blushed. “Okay, that’s not right. I’m inventing a portable electric device that allows people to move, for example, electricity around backstage, from one place to another without wires. I’m also working on an electric lamp that can be moved around, so nobody trips over a wire or lights anything on fire that shouldn’t be or anything.” He stopped and grinned at her. “I’m not hopelessly boring you, am I?”

He needn’t have worried - she was watching him with a smile on her face. “You’re not boring. It will be an incredible help backstage and for our lighting designer,” she looked both way and leaned over to whisper, “although I think they may just hate the Danseur Étoile and like to blame it on their equipment.” Cisco looked delighted. She leaned back. “But as for you, you both work for the Polytechnique? Does that mean you invent things for the government? I’ve heard that they filter people directly to the military.”

Cisco shook his head and then shrugged. “A lot of people do go on to be military or scientists for the military. But STAR Labs, we tend to do things that if the government knew, they’d probably take it from us or say ‘no, you can’t do that anymore; we forbid it.’ I’m just glad if they do that, it’s not going to getting the Bourbons or Orleans back in power. I mean, this is 1885! Now at least they’re starting to put some progressive policies in place, which is nice, but maybe not fast enough. I’m all for universal education, though maybe not so much for their reasoning. And umm, why do you ask? Are you also interested in politics? Or are you like a Bourbon spy? I could see that, the prettiest and most talented ballerina having a double life as a spy.”

She laughed. “You’re cute. I’m no spy, least of all for the Bourbons, of all things. I was asking because I enjoy dabbling in it, and I was actually wondering if you would like to come to a meeting with a few friends, over in the Montmartre.”

Barry asked. “Isn’t the Montmartre still a revolutionary and criminal hotbed?”

She turned to him, snapping up a cold politeness over her posture. “Yes, what of it?”

Cisco waved a hand in Barry’s face. “Shh. STAR Labs has slightly more radical opinions than the rest of the Polytechnique. And we have slightly more radical opinions than the rest of STAR Labs.”

“Then I would like to invite you to a meeting, Friday night at 7pm. Meet me at the bar on top of the far staircase. And invite your friend if he’d like to come.”

“I don’t think I can, but I’ll walk you over.”

“Good,” Mlle. Star leaned over and kissed Cisco’s cheek again. “I’ll see you there then, M. Ramon.”

The door opened again and this time, the thief in the bold blue waistcoat walked in. He took a seat at the bar, and asked the waiter for a menu, all with an air of disinterest. Over the menu, however, he seemed intent on watching them. So Barry narrowed his eyes at him and determined to watch him back. The man was careful never to meet Barry’s eyes after the first time. Instead, whenever Barry looked at him, he was looking somewhere else, whether that somewhere was his menu, his drink which arrived shortly afterwards, or his book which he pulled from somewhere or other.

When Cisco leaned in to kiss Lisa on the cheek, however, the thief in the blue waistcoat stood and sauntered over, resting his long-fingered hands down on the table, one right in front of Barry, who thought that when his hands were not otherwise occupied in other people’s pockets he would be a gifted pianist. “Lisa,” said the man in a controlled, carefully pronounced drawl, eying the ballerina. “Is this man bothering you?” He turned to survey Cisco. 

Barry’s jaw dropped. Cisco was not much better. The man had called her by her first name and had used tu, extending a great deal of familiarity. Cisco turned to look at her. 

Lisa, however, seemed to recognize him and put on a pout. “No, Lenny. He’s not bothering me at all. I like him.” To demonstrate, she kissed Cisco’s cheek again, whispering to him, “Until Friday.” 

Then, she stood. “Was tonight successful, Lenny?”

He inclined his head. “Very.” He met Barry’s eyes with a smirk then turned back to Lisa. “May I walk you home, or do you have other plans?” 

She slipped her hand around his arm. “You may.” Before she left, she turned and shot a smile at Cisco. “Friday,” she mouthed at him then turned back to the thief. 

Together they left and rounded the building, going in the direction of Montmartre.


	3. The Author of the Much Beloved Penny Dreadfuls

Sunday nights were reserved for dinner at the Ouest-Alain household. Three people lived there now, ever since Iris Ouest had gotten married to Eddie Thawne and moved just a few doors down the block, but everyone still came over for dinner. Everyone that night included a few more people than just Joe, head of the household and inspector in the Gendarmerie, his son Wally, Iris and Eddie and Barry, their normal cast of characters for a Saturday night. Cisco had come over as well, as had Caitlin Raymond and engineer Ronnie Raymond. 

Barry and Joe had bought chicken and had cooked it all day with onions and potatoes and rosemary, alongside a course of onion soup and a plate of cheese and pastries. It was the one day of the week they made food, rather than going to a cafe to get it and spreading the table with their detective work as they ate, and they were rather proud of it. It was a tradition that had been ongoing since Barry had joined the family, and one he and Joe were glad still drew people. 

“Wells has taken to asking for reports of your books,” Barry mentioned to Iris between bites. 

“Has he?” Iris turned to Barry. “He is aware that I can give him a copy if he wants.”

Barry shook his head. “I’ve tried to get him interested, Iris. Unfortunately, he’s sworn off of fiction altogether.”

“I still don’t see how a man can swear off of fiction altogether. Hasn’t he ever read Dumas?” Joe asked.

“He hasn’t. I’ve asked.”

“Ramon, have you tried?”

Cisco nodded back and forth. “I’ve tried to get him interested in Zola. He took a book of it and I heard him a week later saying it was worthless as a study.”

“I do think it’s a lost cause,” Caitlin agreed. “And I’m not entirely sure what he would do if he thought it worthwhile as a study.” 

Ronnie made a worried expression next to her and nodded his agreement. He added, to change the topic of conversation, “Inspector Ouest, Iris, how are you and Barry related? Is he a cousin?”

“What you mean how he looks nothing like Iris and Wally?”

Ronnie bit his lip, nodding. “No offense meant.”

“Hey, it’s alright. He is the son of my next door neighbors fourteen years ago. Iris and I raised him since then.”

“My mother was murdered. My father is in prison for her murder. He didn’t do it,” Barry said. 

“We’re still working on getting evidence that he didn’t do it, but it’s not easy,” Eddie said.

“That’s awful,” Caitlin said.

“Not so awful. Joe, Iris and Wally took me in.”

“Yes,” Joe nodded. “Both you and Iris used to give me heart attacks when you were younger. They’d run off to investigate something, and wind up in the middle of a police investigation with a murderer still at large. Now, of course, Iris uses her material to write, and stays away from murder investigations, and Barry is over with you in the Polytechnique, though he still helps out on the occasional investigation, when we need someone to do something with science. The rest of you are, of course, welcome to volunteer as well, if you want.” 

“We will consider it,” Caitlin responded. “But I’m not sure most of what STAR Labs does would be of any use to the police.” Caitlin turned to Cisco. “Cisco, maybe once your electric lanterns are done, they might be useful.”

“Electric lanterns? Do tell,” Iris said.

Cisco nodded. “Yes, I’m making – trying to make – electric portable lanterns, so people can carry around electric lights with them and shine it on areas where they need it. That way, there will be fewer fires and less crime, particularly in areas where there are streetlamps yet.”

“I’m convinced at least some of the fires are due to arson,” Joe said, “But your idea would help us a lot when we’re investigating.” 

Cisco nodded. “Completely. I was also thinking they could be useful backstage at the Opera.”

Ronnie turned to smile at him in a teasing way. “Yes, that is right. You were there on a date this past week, weren’t you? How did it go?”

“Ronnie, I will have you know it wasn’t a date,” Cisco informed her, and he found, the rest of the room, who had turned to him in interest. 

Barry decided to explain. “He has a crush on one of the ballerinas. And he met her and talked with her. And they are going on a date next Friday.” Cisco made gestures at him to stop talking.

“A ballerina?” Caitlin said. “From the Opera Ballet?” She leaned forward, chin on hands, to hear more about the mysterious ballerina.

“Good for you, Ramon,” Joe said. “What’s she like?”

Cisco grinned. “She’s amazing.”

Iris smiled at him. “Do tell.”

Cisco blushed. “I first saw her when my uncle was still in the city, before he moved back to Puerto Rico. He took me to go see the ballet. And there was a tiny ballerina in the back who was really good. And I’ve kind of been going to see her dance once a month since. And Barry here talked me into getting her autograph, and then we met up again in a café outside the Opera, and we fell to talking, and she agreed to meet me again this Friday after the ballet.” Cisco was beaming by the end of his description.

So was the rest of the table. “Congratulations, Cisco. What’s her name?”

“Lisa Star. She’s now a premier danseur. She’s really good.”

“You should woo her with flowers,” Joe suggested.

“You should find out what she likes, and then get her that,” Iris insisted.

“On Friday, she’s taking me to a thing she likes.”

“Good,” Iris said. “When Eddie first began courting me, he got me a connection to my current printer.”

Eddie beamed. “Well, it made you happy.”

“Yes, it did.”

“And now you’re making the printer very happy, too,” Barry said.

Iris laughed. “Yes. Yes, I am.”

Eddie raised a glass. “Here’s to your next book. May it be as successful and more as the previous ones.”

Iris clinked glasses with him. “Thank you.”

Joe nodded. “Cheers to that. Congratulations, Iris.”

“When’s the newest book actually coming out? The copy Barry was reading was only a manuscript,” Caitlin asked. 

“Soon. Very soon,” Iris said. “My printer just needs to give me the go ahead.”

“Congratulations, Iris,” Barry raised a glass.

“May we all have success in our endeavors,” Iris raised a glass as well.


	4. Secret Meetings

Cisco found his way to the streets Lisa had mentioned. They were narrow and winding, and the houses along there were ramshackle, as compared with the Haussmann style houses lining the big boulevards that now permeated Paris, but they clean with the awnings painted in a fresh coat of bold colors and with flowers hanging from the fronts of them – rundown but with care. There were also bars, cafes filled with drunk artists, hardware shops, grocers and meat butchers, and what looked like the remains of a farmer’s market halfway up the street on the way there. It was also a hill, far more of one than he had thought looking at it from the base, with the streets winding up to the peak. Occasional stairways cut into the hill on his way up. He found his way to the back of the hill. The construction on the cathedral the government insisted on building was visible from the winding roads. Overall, he did not think it made anyone who lived there very happy and it had always felt like a smack in the face of the Communards, both the exiles who had come back in 1880 and the one who had died. But the government was building it nonetheless.

Cisco finally found his way to the corner of the staircase that Mlle. Star had said to meet him at. A big man with a shock of close cropped hair and even shorter facial hair wearing a loose green jacket was sitting outside a café across the street. When Cisco turned to him, the man tipped his head, eyes narrowing, and giving Cisco an once-over glance. Cisco nodded at him. The man got up, straightening his clean but loose trousers and adjusting something behind him that Cisco guessed was probably a weapon. He stepped into the café, having to duck to avoid the top of the door. 

A few minutes later, Mlle. Star came out, hair bound tight, wearing a gray dress of thicker fabric than he had last seen her in and no gloves, and looked at where the big shouldered man pointed. She said something to him and crossed the street. He crossed his arms across his chest and watched.

“Cisco Ramon,” she greeted, inclining her head. 

“Mlle. Star.”

“Lisa will do quite well in there, thank you very much. We are compagnons here.” 

Cisco felt his heart miss a beat. “Does that mean I can use tu?”

Lisa looked at him, smiled and started laughed, “You look so earnest and so worried, Cisco. Of course you can use tu.”

Cisco smiled at her. It must have been a sappier expression than he was intending because she said, “Oh no. I didn’t agree to be anyone’s Cosette, did I?”

“What? No, of course not!” he made a face then realized that she might want to be. “That is unless you want to be.”

She smirked at him. “You’re sweet, Cisco. Let’s go meet my other companions and you will see, yes?” she inclined her head at the café. He nodded. She walked up to the guy who was watching and gestured inside. He nodded and followed them in then took a seat by the door.

The meeting started. First a calling together of minutes and a review of what the club had discussed last time they had met, which included a discussion of what was going on with the Communists, a call to sell papers, a search for a new printer. Then it was time for new members to introduce themselves, said someone in the opposite corner, with a pointed look at Lisa and him. “I brought him. His name is Cisco. He works at the Polytechnique as an inventor, and disagrees with several actions of the Third Republic. He will not turn us over, but he is here to learn.” That seemed to satisfy: at least the man who had queried nodded, and the rest of the meeting proceeded apace. 

Afterwards, she gave him a small hug and glanced at the big man who had been sitting by the door. “You’d better not be sleeping.”

“Why? If anything needs doing, you’ll wake me, right?” he murmured, not opening his eyes.

She sighed and looked back at Cisco. “Cisco, shall I see you next Friday?”

Cisco nodded, smiling. “I would like that.”

“Good. And tell me more about those inventions of yours. They sound intriguing.”

He grinned, and she smiled at him, before turning back to the man on the chair and crossing her arms across her chest. “Don’t make me tell your roommate, Mick.” 

Cisco thought he heard a groan before the door closed. He all but skipped down the hill.

\--

He came back next week following another evening at the Ballet. “Come on,” Lisa stuck her head out of the ballerinas’ dressing room. “Let’s go to the meeting.”  
Cisco followed her down another hallway that seemed to lead backstage, down a narrow hallway and past all sorts of doors opening to set pieces; theater techs running place to place or just standing around watching, their work on set finished; and ballerinas half dressed in bold-dyed walking dresses with tight sleeves and floor length skirts and half in the sleeveless pastels they wore for the ballet. 

At one point, an older ballerina opened a door almost smack into Cisco and remarked, “Young man, what are you doing back here?”

Lisa ran back to grab his hand. “He’s with me, Amelie,” she said and dragged him along. 

“I’m telling your chaperone, Lisa!” came the reply after they had already turned the corner. 

They opened a door and suddenly they were outside the Opera House, on the far side of the Grand Staircase. A carriage went by, but otherwise, it was quiet.  
“Good, we got here before anyone else. Come on.” She led him in the direction of the café where they had met before.

“Who is your chaperone?” Cisco asked, catching up.

“The gentleman who picked me up before,” she answered.

“Who is he?” Cisco asked.

“His name is Leonard. Don’t worry. Not a romantic rival.”

“Huh,” Cisco considered her response, which seemed crafted to calm him down but otherwise gave him scant information. Cousin? Brother? She had said brother when the man who was harassing her was in the café, but he could not possibly be her brother, not with what Barry had told him afterwards about the man being a thief and a conman. “You should be careful around him. He seems dangerous.”

She stopped and stared at him, soft edges becoming hard as she did so. “I am aware of his career choices, Cisco. He takes care that they should not impact me and my career.”

Cisco stared at her. “But aren’t you worried? About yourself? About him?”

She sighed. “Listen. I could have ended up a lot worse if it wasn’t for him and his career choices, which if you ever mention in public, I will kill you; I know where to go to find you. I am aware of the fact that he used his career to put me through ballet training. And you should be aware of that too. But to answer your question, in a way you probably weren’t expecting, yes, I worry about him every day he goes out on the job. Now, shall we go?” She turned and began walking again up Montmartre.

Something occurred to Cisco. “He’s not your father, is he?”

Lisa’s jaw dropped in horror. She closed it, blinking as she considered what about what she had just said got that reaction, and shook her head. “No. No, he isn’t.” Her face broke into a smile, and she took Cisco by the arm. “Let’s go to club. I will explain it to you later.”

\--

After club that night, Lisa came over to him. “I did promise you an explanation.” She nodded out of the café. 

“Where to?” he asked.

“Come,” she said. As they left, the man lounged by the door cracked open an eye, studied her, studied Cisco, and raised an eyebrow. “I’m headed home.”

“Alright.” He closed his eye again.

They turned right to walk further up the hill and meandered past shops and artists workshops, cafes and restaurants with people sitting at them and music, typically from a bored pianist, sounding inside. “Mlle!” said a restauranteer. “Come inside.”

“Can’t tonight, Jacques.”

“Shame. My tenant’s wanted to paint you for a year now.”

“Your tenant likes to paint naked women, last I checked, and I am not that type of ballerina,” Lisa told him.

He laughed. “Alright, well, come in soon. I have a new recipe I want you to try.” He inclined his head at Cisco. “And bring your friend. He looks nice.”

She laughed as well. “You’re only saying that because last time I brought Mick.”

“Last time,” he turned to Cisco, “Last time, she brought a hellcat with a thing for flame who tried to set my tablecloths on fire.”

“Hmm. I do remember last time, your server tripping, pulling on the table, lighting her skirts on fire, and my friend trying to put her out.”

He looked put out, so there must have been more truth on Lisa’s side than the restaurant owner. “Either way, I like you. Him, not so much.”

She shook her head, smiling. “I’ll come try your new recipe soon.”

They turned a corner. Cisco asked, “Who’s Mick?”

“The sleeping guy you saw back in meeting. He came out to dinner with me once because I wanted to try a larger dish. It… didn’t go so well, as you heard.” She smirked and shook her head. He gazed at her and smiled back. 

They made their way across a little square where a man was talking with another man and a woman leaned in to hear what they were saying. From the snippets Cisco was able to hear, it sounded like the plot of a bizarre book.

Lisa turned a corner by a boulangerie and gestured for Cisco to stop. He did, staring down at a long staircase and out over the north west of Paris. “I live here.” She nodded, at an apartment. “Do you want to come up?”

“You’re inviting me in?”

“Yes, Cisco. I trust you.” 

Cisco felt his heart soar and was certain the expression on his face reflected that. “I would love to, Lisa.”

She unlocked the house, and they went up the stairs.

They were met there by several cats. “Moustache, Ninette! This is Cisco Ramon. Calm down.” More cats came over. Cisco marveled at them.

“You have cats?” Cisco grinned down at them. 

Lisa picked up one who was about to pounce from a side table and offered it to Cisco to pet. Cisco did. The cat purred.

“Yes, though Moustache, Ninette and Enjolras,” she pointed out three of them, “are actually Louise Michel’s.”

Cisco laughed. “Louise Michel! As in the famous anarchist Louise Michel?”

“None other. She is back in prison now, unfortunately. It’s a long story how I got her cats.”

“I’d love to hear it.”

“I watched her other cats for her when she was in exile.”

“Weren’t you very young then?” Cisco realized what he had said and tried to gape in horror at his own mouth. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t be asking your age or anything.” 

“It’s fine, Cisco. And yes, I was very young, and I was delighted by the idea of watching her cats. This is Snowflake. The last one is Gavain.”

Moustache pounced on Cisco’s shoulders. He almost fell over. Lisa put down Snowflake and gathered Moustache off Cisco’s shoulders.

“Okay, all of you, Enjolras, Gavain, Snowflake, you too. Onto the roof. Go hunt.” She walked over to the window and shoved the cats out. They filed off along the roof.

“Sorry about that,” she said to Cisco. “I didn’t even ask if you like cats.”

“I do. My uncle used to have a big old cat that was bigger than I was for a few years there. It went with him when he left for Puerto Rico via New York,” Cisco said. “Though I think the cat might still in New York, haunting the night.”

Lisa laughed. “I can see it. And you uncle, did he introduce you to politics?”

He nodded. “Yes, he was involved with the uprisings that went on in Puerto Rico the late 60s. When some of his compatriots had to leave to go to New York, he and I came here. Rest of my family is somewhere between New York and Puerto Rico now. We can’t really afford to go back and forth that often; otherwise, I’d love to introduce you to him.”

She gestured for him to sit in one of her chairs. He took her up on the offer. She sat down opposite him. “I’d love to meet him. Maybe one of these days. Mick got me into politics. Sort of. He was exiled with Louise Michel, but more by accident than anything else.”

He laughed. “I know it’s completely possible, but how do you get exiled by accident?” 

She shrugged. “What can I say? He got involved with the Commune only in the last week there, lighting things on fire - barricades, canons, if it burned, the Communards wanted it on fire, with a blowlamp he carries with him - typically for jewelry, you know? – but it’s his preferred weapon, because how many people expect fire in the face? Well, a soldier with the Versailles troops saw him leaving the scene of one of the buildings, and he ended up handing himself over.”

He blinked, recalling what he had heard of the behavior of the Versailles troop during the last week of the Commune. “He’s lucky he wasn’t shot.”

She shrugged. “Some of the Versailles troops were into doing much worse things to those they even thought were Communards."

He nodded. “So I heard.”

“There was this soldier who chose to go after the Communards with knives instead of guns, letting them bleed out. I think he’s in jail now for something or other he did afterward.” She wrinkled her nose.

“Thank goodness.”

She nodded. “Yes. But tell me more about your uncle.” 

\--

He closed the door, forgetting that she had promised an explanation, and ran smack into the clean-shaved thief, though without the blue waistcoat this time. “Hi,” said the man, grabbing Cisco by the lapels and pulling him into the apartment across the hall. 

"What the hell?” Cisco shouted once he was in there. “Why are you in the same apartment building as her?"

“I was monitoring her.”

“Does she know? I mean, I get that you’re her chaperon and all but raised her and all, but does she know you watch her when she’s in her apartment?”

The man surveyed Cisco and sidestepped his question with one of his own. The careful pronunciation of words and the carefully chosen emphasis was even more pronounced than it had been in the café by the Opera. "Why would I not be? She brings over a guy she met at the Opera, who knows what he's going to try."

"She also met me at her political club. What is her relationship with you that you feel you need to watch her apartment? You aren’t actually her brother." Cisco shook his head.

The thief turned to someone further back in the room whom Cisco could not see more than the feet of from his current vantage point and then smirked back at Cisco. “Did he?” The person must have nodded.

The man turned back to Cisco. "I am actually her brother, so no need to worry about us being rivals. And as her brother, I can tell you, if you try anything, they won't find your body.” He reached for Cisco’s lapel again. There was a flash of something in his hand.

Cisco held up his hands. "Alright! Alright! Got it! I would never try anything she wasn’t completely fine with! Jeez!” The man pursed his lips but let go of Cisco, who put his hand up to rub his neck. “But my friend saw you stealing things at the Opera. Why are you a thief if she's a star ballerina?"

"She rose from humble beginnings. I all but raised her and kept her out of being a thief, and had her try out for her favorite thing when she was little. She got in and has been making a name for herself ever since."

"Now that she is-."

The corner of the man’s lip rose a little. "Are you suggesting I leech off her salary?"

"No, just -."

"Good. Besides, I do it for the thrill and because it's that or exile for me at this point. Unless I go into business as Leonard Star."

"Exile?"

“Or prison.”

“She could be exiled too.”

"No, she couldn’t. I tried to keep my thief’s identity and hers separate. It wouldn’t do for anyone to know that Lisa Star is related to the thief, Leonard Snart. As for her politics… Mick, why don't you come introduce yourself?"

The big guy with a shock of red hair who had been watching the meetings came over, surveying him. 

"Cisco causing problems, Snart?" he said to the man.

Snart smiled at him. "No, just wanted you to introduce yourself. You’ve met?”

"Hi. I'm Cisco, and yes, we have."

"I'm Mick, and the reason I stand guard is that I don't have politics, but Lisa does, and I make sure there ain’t any cops that find out about the meeting."

"Mick was involved in the Commune, turned himself over to avoid being killed when they started shooting people like fish in a barrel and doing other terrible things to them, and was deported. And I went down to Nouvelle Caledonie, and found him assisting in teaching the islanders to blow things up and make incendiary devices, giving aid wherever they needed it for their revolution."

"So Lisa said. Were you really sent to Nouvelle Caledonie?"

"Snart," Mick shook his head slightly. Snart turned to him, met his eyes, and nodded.

“Let’s just say yes, Mick was, and leave it at that. I don’t think Lisa’s forgiven either of us yet.”

“So you’re watching her to make sure I don’t do anything with her?”

“To make sure you aren’t going to kidnap her, or use your presence here against her in any way.”

“I would never!”

“I will believe you for now, Cisco. Also, give your friend from the ballet this. Tell him to come find me." He deposited a card with an address on it to Cisco.

“What is it?” Cisco looked down at the card.

“A time. He should know where to find me. He seemed intrigued, and I find him intriguing.”

“You’re scary, you know that?”

“Yeah, we’ve been told that a few times, huh, Snart?” Mick said. 

Snart smirked. “Run along now. I’m going to go meet with my sister.”

\--

"So the meeting went well. She had me over afterwards."

"Great. Did you get anywhere?”

Cisco shook his head.

Barry misinterpreted what Cisco was shaking his head over and asked, “Do you want to get anywhere?"

Cisco sighed. "Not great. Guess who I ran into."

"Oh no. Don't tell me. The thief?" Barry guessed.

"How did you guess that? Is he always on your mind or something?"

Barry shrugged. "Whenever she's around, he is mysteriously around too. You find out why?"

"Yeah. He's apparently her brother."

"What? Really? He's actually her brother?”

Cisco nodded.

“Siblings with a premiere ballerina at the Opera Ballet? How does that work?"

"He said he didn't want her involved in thieving, so he got her interested in something that wasn't stealing. But Barry, he also said to give you this." He handed over the card.

Barry read it. "It says 'let's meet’ and a time.”

“He also said you'd know where to find him. If you don't or you know don't want to, like a sane person, I can tell Lisa next meeting."

"He probably means near the Opera House next ballet. Cisco, when is the next ballet?"

"How do you know that?” Cisco shook his head then saw Barry’s expression. “Wait, Barry. You aren't going to take him up on that offer, are you?"

Barry shrugged. "What do I have to lose?"

"Barry, my friend. Nothing good has ever come from that statement. And did I mention he had a friend who was exiled for starting fire in the end of the Commune and then he went to go get him? Also, you could be kidnapped."

\--

Barry went anyway. After looking up all the information he could find on Leonard Snart and his known associates, which was how he found himself walking up to the figure lounging against the entrance way to the Opera in the same indolent manner as he had lounged against the Grand Staircase. This time, though, he had on a navy blue outer coat - Barry did a double take at the color and cut, which while it was not a uniform of a Police Nationale officer or the Gendarmerie, it was close enough to pass first and even second glance muster.

"Where did you get that?" Barry asked, walking across the square to him. "And why?"

The man's eyes snapped to Barry's face, and a small smile as though he was amused by some internal joke formed on his face. "Your name is Barry Alain. You work as a researcher on loan to the gendarmerie to help them find clues, probably through you foster father, but for the most part, you are a grad student at the Polytechniques. You were raised from the age of eleven by your foster father, one of your father's friends, who was a soldier at the time and has since become a rather successful inspector in the gendarme. His daughter was recently married to another cop and is a very successful author of penny dreadfuls. I picked up one; she is very talented. They are, as far as I can tell, disgustingly in love. The gendarmerie front desk, as you have no doubt noticed, probably could use a little more training on looking at people's faces rather than just their uniform." 

If the man had been hoping to see Barry shocked, he succeeded: Barry had to pick his jaw up off the ground. It impressed him on multiple grounds: how he had gotten it and how much he gotten. How was straight forward - he had wandered into the police department and had probably asked some questions on him without them asking who he was since he was wearing what looked like a police uniform. He decided to ask the one question that was not answered. "Why have you been spying on me?"

He inclined his head. "Because I watched you watching me in the Opera House that evening your friend first met my sister, and you fascinated me."

Barry had to admit that was not what he was to hear. If anything, the thief had fascinated him, and was still doing it. Every little gesture so carefully chosen, and the sheer attractiveness, enough that he had to admit it to himself, as he had not often reflected on. "What about me fascinated you?"

The man smiled. "You didn't report me despite knowing exactly what I was doing."

Barry had not. It had not even occurred to him until afterwards, and then it had been over, and he doubted they would have been able to track anyone with the guts to steal so openly at the Opera House. Still, if he had reported it then, to the ushers or the men who stood guard outside, he doubted they would have been able to catch the thief. "I figured you'd be gone the second you got wind that there were cops."

"You figured correctly. I had a friend watching the street just in case. Knowing what I know about you now, I'm surprised."

"Is this the friend who was deported?" Barry revealed that he knew a little about the man in return.

The thief laughed. "So you looked me up? Or Cisco told you and you guessed the rest. How very suspicious of you, Barry Alain."

"Leonard Snart," Barry returned.

The man considered then pulled himself up from the wall, walking over to Barry. "I would like to invite you to dinner."

Barry was expecting to hear many things. That was not one of them. He narrowed his eyes. “Why?”

“I think it would be intriguing for both of us. And I want to know something about the friends of the man who is courting my sister.”

“Alright,” Barry said and observed Snart’s half prowling, half sizing up expression. He felt the hair rise on the back of his neck and felt his emotions rise to the unspoken challenge. It was a bad idea - one day he knew it would get him into a world of trouble, just as one day, eventually, he hoped to be able to stop himself. Today, however, wasn’t that day. “I want to study the brother of the young woman who’s courting my friend.” He put himself in the man’s face.  
The man gave a laugh, and Barry was taken aback at how much nicer and younger he looked when laughing. 

“There’s a little restaurant on a corner in Montmartre. It serves onion soup, oysters, bread and chicken. Will that satisfy you while we play our little hand to hand?” 

Barry nodded. “I’m up for it if you are, Snart.”

\--

They walked halfway up the hill to a squat place with a dark awning on the corner. The sign, or what Barry could only assume was a sign, was too faded to read anything from it. The man walked into the restaurant and made a beeline for a table in the corner, while Barry was still blinking at the sudden change in light. He turned around at the table and saw Barry still standing there. “I imagine you are used to better establishments than this?” 

Barry followed him to the table. “No, not at all. It’s just dark in here.”

The man tipped his head, concealing what Barry could now see was a smile. “All the better to steal from you in.” 

“Yes, your ‘job.’” Barry snapped.

The man put a pout on his face. Barry was not sure whether he found it even more attractive or just infuriating. “It earns me a living. At least I don’t work for the mobs over in the 19th arrondissement, either directly or as a cop in the Police Nationale, taking money from them.”

“Are you accusing?”

The man glanced back at Barry and frowned. “Not you. Now sit.”

Barry did then followed up on the insinuation. “My foster father is a clean cop.”

The man scoffed and gave him a pitying look. “I’m sure. And if he is, he’s unique among cops.”

Barry decided to turn his game of questions back on him. “You speak like you’ve known a lot of corrupt cops.”

That got an inclined head. “I grew up in the 19th. You do the math.”

Barry took in that information. He had heard reports from the cops that the ones in the 19th arrondissement were causing problems, or were not arresting the right people. If the reason was that they were corrupt, that would explain a lot of the anger in the gendarmerie whenever they were mentioned. “You do know that not all cops are like that.”

The man shrugged and held up a hand to order. “House red for me. You? Same for my guest.” The waitress went off. “I’ve spent the last fifteen years in the 18th arrondissement. They weren’t much better.”

“My foster father is not corrupt. Nor are the men he works with.”

“Well, all the ones I’ve met are. Except maybe the ones in the Commune.” Snart laughed and shook his head.

Barry looked up at the mention of the Commune. “Were you involved in the Paris Commune?” 

The other man shook his head. “I was not in the city. However, my sister, that’s the one your friend is seeing, and my friend Mick, whom you know as the friend who exiled to Nouvelle Caledonie, were.”

“Tell me about it.”

“Why? So you can have a story to tell your friends?”

“I have my reasons,” Barry insisted.

The man looked him up and down and shrugged. “Fine.” He started telling him the story.

\--

He had been pulling a job in Brussels in March 1871 when news had reached him about Paris having declared itself its own government had reached him, that it had declared that the cannons it had used to protect itself were Paris' and no one else's, and that this action taken by the Parisians had scared the President of the Third Republic out of Paris and sent him running to Versailles with all his administration and several other members of the bourgeois from Paris. On hearing the news, he had gone to the train station to book an immediate ticket to Paris: Mick and Lisa were in the city after all, and the empty houses of the rich seemed the perfect time and place to make a killing. 

However, the train to Paris was blocked. As he was waiting there, on the platform, he had gotten into a conversation with an elderly gentleman for what seemed the better part of a day, sharing news, gossip, the works. The gentleman had asked where he lived, saying that he himself was from the 4e arrondissement, and now lived on the Avenue d’Eylau in the 16th arrondissement, no. 130 if the younger man wanted to come visit him. Snart had answered that he lived in the 18th arrondissement. They had fallen to discussing the news and politics of the day, with the older gentleman bemoaning Haussmann renovations of the city of Paris and saying it was a daft idea and saying he had friends who were no doubt involved in the current events, who had even taken up the name of Enjolras, one of the characters in Les Miserables. The gentleman had asked if he had read it and what character he had liked: was he another who had fallen in love with Enjolras. He had answered he had read it, and had loved Gavroche, the little gamin. The gentleman had promptly taken out a copy and had asked the younger man's name. On being given it, the gentleman had signed the book and given it to Snart, who opened it to find that he had been given a book signed by none other than Victor Hugo. 

_Barry was delighted: "You met Victor Hugo?"_

_"Yes, I stayed with him for a month, and I still have the book."_

There were no trains to the city of Paris, or anywhere near it, for a month, so Hugo had invited him back to his place, and by the time he had gotten near enough to be able to hike in - via a train had arrived to a city Amiens, then hopping a ride on a cart bound for a nearby town, and then smuggling his way into Paris and helping fight for her defense - the city was already in chaos. He wrote to the ballet school, and received confirmation that Lisa was there and was alright, if worried, but did not know where Mick was. He had fallen back to Paris to look and found the beautiful city barricaded and aflame. 

He had made a beeline for the Opera Ballet and Lisa had run out to cling to him. He received the news from one of his neighbors that Mick was fighting with the Communards over in the 19th. The barricades made passage impossible and the smoke in the air stung his lungs. And when he had gotten to the burnt up husk of the Hotel de Ville, he had sat down and hoped that Mick was still alive, and wondered how many of the buildings in Paris he had helped light. He had discovered when the fire had let up and the news had returned to Paris that Mick had been captured and was set to be tried. He spent the next five months trying to find out where they were keeping him, certain that if he had been able to figure it out, he could have sprung him, or paid a guard to look the other way. He was only able to figure it out when Mick was already being tried, and had worked around the clock to make sure his friend was exiled, not shot. It was then that he discovered that Mick had handed himself in, and he shot to let the guards and Hugo himself know. Hugo had written a petition for him, and thus his friend was put on a boat to Nouvelle Caledonie. He followed him there on the next boat, disguised himself as a member of the Police, and said that the man was wanted for questioning. 

His forgery skills proved useful, and they sent Mick back on the boat with him without question, although Louise Michel had met with him to ask why he was wanted by the Police. Mick had come in then to find Snart, had laughed and exclaimed "Lenny!" and then had explained that Snart was in reality a top-notch pickpocket and forger and his longtime criminal partner and friend. She convinced him to take back a number of letters, and somehow or other to take care of her cats alongside Lisa's two. Then, he and Mick had made the journey back.

Mick had revealed to him more about why he had turned himself in and what he had been doing. He had found himself up Montmartre on the day the women of Montmartre claimed the cannons for Paris, and had ended up helping a group of school teachers wrangle together children. One of these women was Louise Michel. Amid firebrands like Louise Michel, her friend and fellow Communard Théophile Ferré and her fellow teacher and Théophile’s sister Marie Ferré, Mick had been caught up in the Commune. He had enjoyed acting as muscle for them. 

Then the Bloody Week had happened. The troops under command of the Third Republic, stationed Versailles, flooding into Paris. The Communards, including Mick, had lit buildings aflame to keep them off, as stories of the bloodshed that the Versailles troops, as they were called, were committing began to spread.  
In the smoke, he encountered a member of the Versailles troops. The man had lashed out at him with the butt of chassepot. Mick had taken it square in the face and had gone down like a sack of bricks. The man had then gone at him with the bayonet from the gun, holding him down and slicing into him, trying to make him bleed. After one of the cuts had gone particularly deep, Mick had yelled, "Just shoot me.”

The man had laughed at him. "That would make it over too fast."

"You're insane," Mick had realized.

"You've have driven me insane. You all have. I didn't go fight for France for this. I didn’t get captured after Napoleon III lost for this."

The man had aimed at him again with the knife, aiming for somewhere under his ribs. Mick had caught him on the side of the face with his fist, grabbed a piece of cloth, possibly a drape, definitely on fire, and threw it at him. Then he had run. His shirt was increasingly bloody, and his attention increasingly confused. He had stopped, pulling his shirt up to see the damage the man had done, and found himself bleeding from a hundred little cuts the man had made in him. He had tried to stop the bleeding. A team of Versailles troops had run across him.

"You there! Are you a Communard?" they had shouted at him.

"Yes," he had answered. "Yes, just don't give me back to him."

“And you’ll confess?” they had insisted.

He had nodded.

So they took him, and shipped him off with the rest of the Communards they did not shoot. 

So he related to Leonard Snart on the ship ride home to Paris. And when they had gotten back, they had been hugged by a Lisa who announced that she was furious with both of them. 

\--

Barry blinked at the end of the Snart’s story. “So your friend and your sister were here when the Commune happened and then your friend turned himself over?”  
Snart nodded. “So now you know more about us. Don’t abuse it.”

Barry nodded. “The reason I was curious was I was in it too, supposedly.”

Snart tipped his head. “Supposedly?”

“I have no memories of it, but my mother was murdered during the Commune, and my father was blamed for it. When my foster father came home he took me in. Professor Wells, who runs the labs at the Polytechnique where I work, found me and kept me with him between when my mother was killed and when Joe got home,” Barry explained.

“That’s… quite the story,” Snart blinked to take in the information. “Did they ever find out who did it?”

Barry shook his head. “They still think it was my father.”

“Is he still alive?”

“Yes. He’s in prison. The only reason he hasn’t been executed is because Joe doesn’t believe he did it either, but we can’t find out who did.”

Snart tightened his lips. “Did either of your parents have enemies?”

Barry shook his head. 

Snart grimaced. “Then we’re back to square one.”

Barry nodded. “Basically where I’ve been for the past fourteen years.”

Snart took a drink. “Has it been fourteen years?” He thought about it and shook his head.

“How old were you in it?” Barry asked.

Snart shrugged. “I was twenty-five.”

“You’re old.”

Snart turned to him. “Yes, but I can still pick your pockets like a gamin and fool the occasional cop into thinking I’m twenty. Furthermore, I’m unmarried and going to remain so.”

“Why?” Barry blurted out.

Snart gave him a look. “Apart from being a thief?” 

Barry nodded. “You’re attractive enough to get any girl you want, even with you being a thief. And quite a few might find that a turn on.”

Snart laughed. “Thank you for the compliment. Let’s just say I know various flower codes and handkerchief codes to say I’m attracted and to what. Does what I’m saying make any sense to you?”

Barry flushed. 

“I see you’re familiar with their meaning.”

“You’re not into women?”

“I am some of the time,” Snart said, eyes not leaving Barry’s face. “The rest of the time…”

“You’re into men?” Barry finished.

Snart nodded. “I would understand if you got up and left now.” He lounged back in his seat.

“Would you like me to?”

Snart shrugged, looking away from Barry in a deliberate disinterest. “That’s your prerogative.” He looked like a cat, Barry decided, like a cat that was looking away to see if you were trustworthy.

Barry thought about it. Between Snart’s interest in him at the Opera House, his own interest in the man, and Snart’s invitation, he had to check. “Are we on a date, Snart?”

Snart turned his eyes back to him, laughing. “Trust me, M. Alain, you would know if we were.” He rotated his full attention to Barry once again. “Would you mind if we were?”

Barry swallowed. “I think my foster father would object-.”

“Would you?” 

Barry overrode him. “Other than him, I think I need to get to know you better first.”

Snart raised a glass. “Then, here’s to getting to know one another better, M. Alain.”

\--

Barry walked back into STAR Labs after coming back from his meeting with Snart, and stopped. In the middle of the lab floor was a metal device taller than Cisco which Cisco, Wally, Caitlin, and Ronnie and were fiddling with. “Professor Wells, I tell you: this will not work! And if it does, you cannot test it!” Professor Stein was saying to Professor Wells as Barry walked in. Professor Wells had turned to survey Barry, who was still staring at the thing, eyes flashing here and there, frown increasing between his eyes.

“M. Alain,” Professor Wells said.

Cisco looked up from what he was working. “Hey, how’d it go, Barry?”

Barry’s eyes were flickering around the thing, in increasing consternation as he was growing certain that he had seen this thing somewhere before. “Professor, what is that?” Barry asked, wetting his lips and swallowing to get the dryness out of his throat.

“It is a time machine, M. Alain. The one you have been reviewing calculations for.” He started towards Barry.

“Where have I seen it before?” Barry asked, turning to his mentor.

“I don’t know where you would have seen it before,” said Professor Wells, his voice soft, his steps careful. “Did you see it in a dream perhaps? A vision?”

Barry shook his head. He remembered it, but something was very wrong with the memory. He had been smaller, and terrified, and the angle was not right. He started towards it, and realized he must have been inside to get that view of it. He approached it. 

“Barry?” Caitlin asked.

He reached out his hand to touch the side of it and turned to face Professor Wells. “Professor?” he asked, feeling very strange, and collapsed.

 

“Eobard, what have you done?” Professor Stein was asking when Barry was next aware.

“I haven’t done anything.”

“You didn’t already test it, on Barry of all people, did you?” Caitlin that time.

Barry opened his eyes to find himself in a bed, with Caitlin and Stein tending to him.

“No, of course not,” Professor Wells seemed offended by the suggestion, looking at both of them. They looked at him, hesitating, as though he had not quite seemed offended enough. “I did not already test it,” he repeated with more emphasis. 

“What happened? What was that thing?” Barry asked.

“Ah. You’re awake,” Professor Wells said, kneeling down in front of him. 

“How are you feeling?” Professor Stein asked. 

“I’m feeling fine. It’s just nothing like that’s ever happened to me before. What was that thing?” Barry pushed himself up. 

“Easy. Easy,” Caitlin said, helping him up. “Cisco,” she said. Cisco grabbed his shoulder, and they changed the position of his pillow. “Are you okay?” Caitlin asked.

Barry nodded. “Thank you, Dr. Raymond. Thank you, Cisco.”

“No problem. Just don’t do it again,” Cisco said. 

Professor Wells squeezed his hand. “Good to see you’re okay. We decided to start building the time machine.”

Barry nodded, and looked around, seeing everyone’s concerned expressions. “Why did I react so badly to seeing it? Where have I seen something like it before?”

“I must say that I can only theorize on why you collapsed. You said it looked familiar. Perhaps the skeleton structure of it resembled one of the buildings in the Commune, which you yourself have said you have no memory of. It could have been those memories trying to reassert themselves.”

Barry nodded. “The man I went to go see tonight to make sure he meant Mlle. Star no ill will. He brought up his experiences in the Commune, or rather his friend and Mlle. Star’s. It might have had something to do with that.”

Professor Wells nodded, glancing at Professor Stein and Caitlin. “That makes sense. Nonetheless, we’d better go clean it up to make sure what happened to you doesn’t happen again. Cisco?” Cisco nodded and went with Professor Wells. 

Caitlin nodded. “Well, Professor Stein and I will run a couple more tests on you. M. Ramon, thank you for the use of your equipment.”

Cisco nodded and followed Professor Wells.

Caitlin smiled at Barry. “Glad you’re back, Barry.”


	5. Movement in the 19th Arrondissement

A summons from Amelie arrived via a very apologetic usher at the Opera House the following week after Cisco had run into Amelie following the ballet. Lisa inclined her head and set off to Amelie’s, prepared to hear a tirade about bringing young men she was seeing backstage. An older usher was sitting back in a chair outside Amelie’s dressing room, and raised an eyebrow as she approached.

“I am here to meet with Amelie, on her request,” Lisa told him.

The usher inclined his head and gestured at the room without getting up. Lisa raised an eyebrow back. Ushers were not supposed to act like that, and there was something very un-usherlike about him. She would think about that later, however, for now, she opened Amelie’s door and stepped inside.

“Tell me, Mlle. Star, how dedicated to the ballet are you?” Amelie asked from her vanity as soon as Lisa walked in, where she was applying make-up.

Lisa inclined her head. “Amelie, I am very, very dedicated to the ballet.”

“Are you having a fling with the boy I saw the other night?”

Lisa considered her words carefully. On one hand, a yes could disqualify her from the ballet. On the other, she was seeing him, and if she said no and was spotted elsewhere in the city, the rumors would start, and no one gossiped like the ballerinas of the Paris Opera Ballet. “We are seeing each other. But we are not doing anything untoward.”

Amelie smirked at her in the mirror and then rotated around to face her. “Lisa, darling, you can say ‘sex’ in front of me. I will not act all astonished and put out. I have heard the word before. My question was more as to the nature of your relationship then anything else.”

Lisa tipped her head. “The nature?”

Amelie leaned forward, gesturing with the tip of her perfume bottle. “Are you planning on getting married, leaving the ballet for the life of a married woman with children?” The gestured ended at Lisa’s abdomen.

Lisa leaned forward, gestured at her abdomen as well and gave a little no gesture with her hand. “Even if I get married, the ballet is of primary importance to me. Cisco will have to understand that children aren’t in my plans for many years if we are to move any further. And I believe he already does.”

Amelie looked thoughtful and nodded. “Very well, darling. How interested are you in being my understudy in the next ballet?”

Lisa had not been expecting that. “What? Me?”

Amelie shook her head, gesturing at Lisa again with her perfume applicator. “No, the other ballerina in the room. Yes, you.”

Lisa licked her lips, nodded, and smiled. When she spoke, the back of her throat was dry and her voice came out in a hungry whisper, “I would love it, Amelie.”

Amelie tucked the glass applicator back away. “Good. You will watch me rehearse later today and then I will watch to make sure you know you part.”

Lisa nodded again. “Thank you, Amelie.”

Amelie wave her hand. “That will be all. Now run along and let your darling brother and his friend know.”

Lisa gave a small curtsey, smiled at Amelie again, and left the room to go find her brother. Before she got very far down the hallway, however, she heard Amelie’s voice behind her. “Paul!” She stepped out of her dressing room. “Paul! Ahh, there you are.”

“Amelie,” he greeted her.

She said something else to him that Lisa couldn’t hear – they had dropped their voices – but a glance back said that Amelie was leaning over his chair in a manner that almost seemed flirtatious. Certainly, she wasn’t scolding him for lounging back on her chair, nor did she seem to mind when he didn’t get up immediately. As Lisa watched, he picked up her hand and touched his lips to it. So Amelie was seeing an usher. Of all the juicy gossip! However, before Lisa could find out how to use it, she had news to share with Lenny, Mick and Cisco, and ran off to let her brother and his friend know. She had gotten through her front door before she realized what she had missed: on the front of his jacket, ever so subtle, was the pin of the Secret Police.

\--

Joe came in to the house, put down his briefcase, and sighed, then looked at Barry, who was sitting on the couch eating the remainder of dinner and reading something that could either be STAR Labs or gendarmerie work. “Hi, Barry. How was your day?”

Barry looked up. “Professor Wells, Professor Stein and Dr. Raymond are still debating whether to continue building the time machine.” 

Joe considered going over there and adding his opinion to the debate: if it had been going on for a week, one of them must be raising some very strong objections, given Eobard’s tendencies not to listen to other people, both as Joe had found them when he had first encountered the man and from Barry’s stories now. “It’s been a week since you saw them building it?” 

“Five days.” Barry nodded, smiling at Joe’s deliberately delicate reference to his swooning like a heroine in one of Iris’ penny dreadfuls - they had already exchanged words on that, and with Caitlin and Cisco and Martin to try to find out what had happened, where he had addressed the incident more directly.

“Somebody must be objecting pretty strongly.” 

Barry nodded. “From what I can tell. Dr. Raymond and Professor Stein both seem to be.”

Both! That meant their objections must be fairly strong. “Barry, I would stay away from it. Whatever it was that you remembered based on it, it can’t be good. And given that you don’t know what it is…”

“What if it could help my father?” Barry said.

Joe sighed and sat down next to him on the couch. “Barry. Listen.”

Barry nodded. “I understand your concern – so I’m going to avoid it if they do end up making it, and I have no idea what I’ll do if it is successful – but maybe if it helps me keep looking into who killed her.”

Joe wrapped an arm around Barry’s shoulder – a lot harder now the kid he had raised was taller than he was – and thought of all the ways this could go wrong. However, he knew Barry and knew from experience he would keep trying if he thought there was a possible lead, and he did not want another experience of having to run to find a nearly unconscious Barry cradled in a concerned stranger’s arms, even if that stranger did turn out to be Eobard and able to mentor Barry’s inner scientist. “I think that exploring it would be a good idea, if you think so, but only under Eobard and Caitlin’s supervision.”

Barry smiled at him. “Thanks, Joe.” He added after a minute, “How was your day? You seemed pretty tired when you came in.”

Joe nodded. “The gangs in the 19th arrondissement have been doing something, and we can’t seem to find out what.”

Barry frowned. “Can’t you ask the cops in the 19th arrondissement?”

Joe shook his head. “They can’t figure it out, and it’s gotten them nervous. So it’s been reported up to us. And we can’t figure it out.”

“I might be able to help.”

“How? I understand you want to be d’Artagnon but a daring mission isn’t something you’ve been on before.”

“You want to be d’Artagnon, and it wouldn’t be me. Someone I met with recently,” Joe looked up sharply, “who wanted to keep an eye on the ballerina Cisco is dating and wanted to meet with Cisco’s friends to make sure he wasn’t a serial killer or a kidnapper.” That made sense – Joe leaned back into the couch. “He said he knew people up there.”

Joe sighed and considered. “Listen. Bear. You can’t just send a complete civilian into a mob. They’ll get killed.”

Barry nodded, biting his lip. 

Joe looked at him and concluded, “Unless he got connections to the mob. Is that what you’re saying? Is she a mobster’s sister?”

Barry protested. “He’s not a member of the mob. But he used to know people in it and probably still does.”

“Maybe I should meet with him in that case.”

“No!” 

Joe stared at Barry’s protest. “Something you’re not telling me?”

“He gets spooked easily and doesn’t get along with cops.”

Joe’s eyes narrowed at the manner in which Barry said that and the way he side stepped: he was not telling the entire truth and he knew it and knew that Joe knew it. “Why not?” Joe pried. 

Barry shrugged, again casting his eyes down. “Bad experiences when he was little.”

Joe decided to be more up front with his questions. “Is he a criminal?”

Barry jumped, looked at Joe, then looked away. “Not exactly.” The guy that Barry had met with was totally a criminal was what Joe was reading from that. “At least that’s not why he wants to avoid the police.”

Joe considered. “So you want to meet with him again to find out what he knows?”

Barry nodded.

“And whether he’d be willing to go in there and find out more?”

“If needed, yes.”

“And you don’t want me anywhere near this meeting?”

Barry bit his lip and looked at Joe. 

Joe nodded, thinking about it. He wanted Barry to go up there with someone, but as he and Eddie were not options, that left either Wally or Cisco, and he didn’t want Wally going in case this was a chance to lure him out on two of his children. “Okay, but you’re taking Cisco with you.”

Barry frowned in confusion. “Why will taking Cisco help get more information?”

“Because he’s your friend, because I’ve met with him, because he might enjoy another chance to meet with his girlfriend,, because chances are this man will not do anything objectionable in front of her, if he does, and anything happens to you, he knows to come running here or to the gendarmerie to tell me.”

“That makes sense. I’ll ask him to come along.”

\--

It turned out that asking Cisco made meeting with Snart a lot easier to arrange, as Cisco was able to ask Lisa, who gave him a time and place to meet them. They arrived at the bar in Montmartre where Snart had met with Barry before, to find the thief already there with Lisa Star and a big guy in clothes one would expect a cabbie to wear. “That’s Mick,” Cisco leaned over to say. 

Barry nodded and approached the table. “Is this seat taken?” he asked them.

Snart smirked at him and inclined his head. Lisa smiled at Cisco. “Cisco, come sit by me.” Cisco slid in next to her. Snart met her eyes. She smiled back and wrapped a hand around Cisco’s arm.

Mick narrowed his eyes at Barry. “This is the guy?” he asked.

“This is the guy,” Snart confirmed.

Mick looked him up and down. “Huh.” He shrugged after a moment. 

“I am the guy for what?” Barry said.

“Sit, Barry, sit.” Snart pulled a chair over with his foot. Barry took it, pulled it the rest of the way, and sat.

“You still haven’t answered my question.”

Snart turned to Barry and gazed at him head on. Barry gazed back. Snart lips curled up at the ends and he looked away. Barry had to admit to himself that there were few things he wouldn’t do for that gaze if they were together in private and he hoped he wasn’t blushing.

“So I take it this isn’t just a social call,” Snart observed, “Tell me, Barry, what do you want to know?” 

“There’s been talk at the department of something happening in the 19th arrondissement with the gangs up there.”

Snart and Mick’s faces did something fascinating. Snart’s went steely. Gone was the charming, rogue pickpocket – he was sitting up straight; his jaw had tightened; his eyes had turned hard, cold and calculating. Mick’s expression, for all that Barry was less familiar with it, had gone dangerous as well – a hot-headed brawler looking to swing a punch. A glance at Lisa said that though she was not as affected, she too sat a little more on the edge of her seat with colder eyes, harder jaw, and more calculated pose than before. 

“I’ve got it under control,” Snart’s voice dripped warning, “And if I don’t, you’ll know.”

Barry wasn’t letting him off on that. “I want to know what you know about them.”

“He don’t got to tell you anything, kid,” Mick warned. 

Snart held up a hand to Mick, meeting his eyes. Mick shrugged at Snart, and Snart inclined his head back. Mick leaned back. Only then did Snart turn back to Barry. “I’ll tell you what, kid. What’s going on up there is politics, plain and simple. There is one gang that hold up near the Ourcq Canal and run the area that is the meat market of the Villette; one that holds around the train stations – that’s Gare du Nord and Gare de l’Est in case –.”

“I know.”

“Good. Had to be sure. One that holds the quarries at the Buttes Chaumont; one that and one that holds the border between the 19th and 20th along the Rue de Belleville. And then, of course, there are others in the 20th itself. The reason that the corrupt cops in the 19th are panicking is because someone just took down the leader of the Rue de Belleville gang, and no one’s sure who did it. The gangs aren’t talking. Partially, because they aren’t sure themselves.” Snart leaned over on his hand, stealing a sip from the alcohol bottle that had been in front of Mick, before putting it down and shooting a dirty glare at Mick, who shrugged and took the bottle back, then turning back to Barry. “As I said, I’m finding out who did it and why. I got this.” 

Barry nodded. “I understand, but if you don’t-.”

“What? You want me to let you know? Fine.”

Mick spoke up, “Listen, kid. I’d say I respect you, except I don’t. Stay out of it, for Snart’s sake if not for your own.”

\--

Later that evening, Barry relayed along the information he had gotten on the 19th arrondissement mobs to Joe, and then to Captain Singh, though not who he found the information from, as Snart and Mick had made him promise again on threat of death (Mick had added that last bit. Snart had said the promise implied that.) They agreed that as that was more information than they had been getting from the gendarmerie in the 19th, that they would agree to the anonymity of their informant and let him continue feeding them information as he was able.


	6. Iris Thawne’s Sunday Afternoon Book Launch

Iris Thawne came into STAR Labs on Thursday afternoon and embraced Barry, Wally and Cisco. "My newest book is being released on Saturday."

"Congratulations," Wally hugged her again.

Barry grinned. "I finished reading the manuscript last week. It's really great."

Cisco laughed. "Kept him on the edge of his seat too. I can't wait. Congrats."

"Did Wells really make you write a book report of it?"

Barry nodded. 

“No, it gets better. He made him present it for STAR Labs.” Cisco said.

Iris looked at Barry and Wally for confirmation then laughed.

"Well, you are all invited to a book launch party at my place this Sunday. And Wells too, if he'll come. And of course, Professor Stein and Clarissa, and Caitlin and her husband. Wait, I think I see Caitlin walking by. Dr. Raymond! Caitlin!"

Caitlin stuck her head in. "Iris! How are you? I didn’t know you were here or I would have come by sooner."

“I just arrived.” Iris hugged her. "I'm throwing a book launch party on Sunday. You and Ronnie are invited."

Caitlin beamed. "I'd be happy to."

"Excellent. So you, Ronnie, Barry, Wally, my dad, Cisco are you in?"

Cisco nodded. “Of course.”

"Are guests allowed?" Caitlin joked, nodding at Cisco with a significant look.

Iris turned to Cisco and smirked. "Yes, you should bring Mlle. Star to meet us."

Cisco looked like a mouse caught by a toying cat. 

"Only if she isn't shy," Iris said a moment later, more seriously.

Cisco shook his head. "No, I'll ask."

“Good. I can’t wait to meet her. Now I’m off to invite Professor Stein and Clarissa. Is Professor Stein in his office?”

Caitlin nodded. “They should be now.”

“Okay, great. Thank you so much. I can’t wait to see everyone there!” Iris walked out of the room to go invite Professor Stein.

\--

Barry, Wally and Joe were putting the last touches on the party – with Barry and Wally discussing the book – when there was a knock on the door. Barry went to open it. Cisco was standing there beaming from ear to nervous ear next to Lisa. “Cisco,” he greeted then turned to Lisa, “Hello again.”

Lisa inclined her head. “Same to you.”

“Come on in. We’re putting coats in the front bedroom, the one that was Iris’ before she got married.”

“Let me take your coat,” Cisco said to Lisa, who unfastened it and deposited it in the bedroom.

“How are you?” Barry asked. 

Lisa smirked at him. “I’m well. The ballet has been keeping me busy. My brother’s well.”

“Good. That’s very good,” Barry said.

Lisa chuckled. “He asked about you.”

Barry’s face showed his surprise. “Did he? Why?”

Lisa shook her head in amazement, though amazement at what Barry could only guess. “How about you introduce me to the rest of Cisco’s friends and your family?”

Barry nodded. “Well, my sister, well foster sister, technically - she’s the author of the book – and her husband haven’t showed up yet, but let me introduce you to Wally - he’s my foster brother - and Joe - he’s my foster father. Umm, out of curiosity, do you like Dumas?”

She frowned. “The author?”

Barry nodded. 

“I’ve read him and enjoyed his characters, Count of Monte Cristo. Why do you ask?”

“Joe will probably try to talk your ear off. Dumas is his favorite author. He met him when he was younger, and they fell to talking, both being people of color whose parents were of considerable rank in the armies, and he took Iris to meet him when she was five or six, and she declared to Dumas that she was going to be an author,” Barry said.

“That’s amazingly adorable. And I can hold my own in a conversation about Dumas,” she said. 

Barry nodded. “There will also probably be some gentle ribbing. More of Cisco, but…”

Lisa patted him on hand. “I can handle more than gentle teasing. How much of it do you think my friends and the other ballerinas aimed at Cisco?” 

“Ballerinas gossip?”

Cisco came back in and had a strange expression on his face. Lisa looked at his expression and nodded. “Have you ever met a ballerina? Other than me?”

Barry shook his head. 

“It shows.”

Cisco translated. “So ballerinas are the gossipiest gossips that ever did gossip.”

Lisa laughed. “That doesn’t begin to get at how much. Some of them have networks that rival spymasters. Amelie, that is our star ballerina, might be seeing someone who is most certainly not an usher every so often and might be meeting with a spymaster in the Secret Police: I’m a little worried if they team up.”

“For the club meetings?” Cisco said.

Lisa nodded. “Among other things, such as my dear brother, Leonard Star.”

Barry grinned. “Is that actually what you call him in society?”

Lisa narrowed her eyes. “Yes, and it has worked for us for years.” Then she readjusted her posture and stood a lot more like the women at the opera ballet, leaned forward and widened her eyes in interest. “We were orphaned, and his job as a clerk – I believe in a small law office over in the 4th arrondissement – put me through ballet training. His good friend Michael Riley is a stable hand and cab driver, one of the best, and I’ve known him since childhood.” She dropped the act and stared back at Barry. “Do you understand?”

Barry nodded, glancing at Cisco, who was staring in wonder, shaking his head.

“That is my greeting opera guests face, but it is a story I carefully maintain to avoid gossip. And it lets Lenny and Mick pick me up at the ballet without becoming the center of opera gossip, which gets into people’s ears and mind, sometimes at the gendarmerie. If you get where I’m going with this.”

Cisco and Barry nodded. Barry tipped his head at Cisco. “How do you avoid gossip on Cisco?”

Lisa smirked. “Oh, I’m not touching the gossip on Cisco. That is unfolding as it will.”

Cisco bit his lip. “I hope it’s not getting you in too much trouble?”

Lisa leaned over and curled an arm around his. “It gives them something to gossip about. Otherwise, I’d keep it secret. Unless, you want me to keep it secret?”

Cisco shook his head. “No, I don’t want to keep it secret. Only are you sure you want to be seen running around with a poor inventor like me?”

Lisa turned to him. “Only if you’re sure you want to be seen running around with a ballerina like me.”

Barry grinned at them. “Shall I introduce you to Cisco’s friends?”

Lisa nodded. “I would like that.”

Barry called out. “Joe! Wally! Cisco and Mlle. Star are here.”

Joe was in in a second. “I’ve heard so much about you, Mlle. Star. I’m Joe Ouest.”

Lisa inclined her head. “Hello, Inspector Ouest.”

Wally showed up a few moments after Joe. “Hello.”

“Hello. You must be the younger M. Ouest.”

“Just Wally will do.”

“Please to meet you, just Wally.”

Wally beamed.

Joe said, “Well, if anyone would like to sit, we have the room in there set up. Anyone want tea or coffee?”

Barry nodded. “I’ll get it.”

When Barry got back with the coffee, Joe was sitting across from Lisa and Cisco, and asking her how she and Cisco had met.

“Here is coffee,” he put it and the cups down on the table, pouring a cup for Lisa, himself, Joe and Cisco, and sitting on the side couch next to Wally.

“Thank you,” Lisa accepted the cup. “Cisco, as you probably know, has been coming to the Opera Ballet for years. And last month, he and I began talking and I find his career absolutely amazing. He has promised to show me some of his inventions soon.”

“Cisco, take the girl to show her your inventions,” Joe said.

“I will. I will.” He turned to her, “Do you want to go this evening?”

“That sounds very good.”

“Yes!” Cisco beamed.

There was a knock on the door. “I’ll get it,” Wally said.

“Wally! How are you?” Iris’s voice came through.

“Iris,” Wally greeted.

Joe got up. “Here is the lucky lady.” 

He hugged Iris. “Hi, Dad.”

“Eddie,” he nodded at the man behind her.

“Hi Joe.”

“Iris! Eddie!” Barry got up as they came into the room. 

“Barry!” Iris hugged him. Eddie nodded at him.

“Come meet Cisco’s guest. Lisa Star, Iris and Eddie Thawne,” Barry introduced.

“I hear that you’re an amazing ballerina,” Iris said.

“I hear that you’re an amazing author and that congratulations are due on your new book,” Lisa said.

They both smiled at each other. “So I hear you’ve got the prettiest brother,” Iris said. Barry gestured at her in a way that the entire room could tell that that was not supposed to be shared. 

Lisa glanced Barry’s direction and smirked at him. “He is my brother. I consider him a jerk, but a lovable one.”

“You’ll have to tell me about him and who he finds attractive. We could set him up with someone.” Barry had thrown his hands over his face. Iris glanced at him then added to Lisa, “Maybe later. So tell me more about the ballet. What’s it like?”

“What do you want to know? I’ve been in training at the Opera Ballet since before I was ten.”

“You’ll have to tell me all about it.”

Lisa smiled at her. “Might it find its way onto the pages of your next book?” 

Iris laughed. “Oh, I haven’t thought that far along yet.”

Eddie said, “Haven’t you already signed with the printer for another five?”

Iris turned to him. “Yes, but not what they are on.” She took his hands and gave them a little squeeze. He smiled at her.

Joe commented, “You know, I originally disapproved of your relationship, but seeing the way he looked at you makes this father’s heart glow with pride.”

Iris and Eddie blushed. “Dad.”

Another knock on the door announced the arrival of Martin and Clarissa Stein. “Hello, Clarissa Stein, Martin Stein. How are you?” Iris greeted. 

“Congratulations on the new book.” Clarissa and Iris hugged.

“Yes, our congratulations on the wonderful book.”

“Thank you, Martin, Clarissa.”

“Hello, Professor Stein, Mme. Stein. Would either of you care for coffee or tea?” 

“M. Alain, I would love some coffee.”

“Ah, and is you the Mlle. Star that we’ve been hearing so much about?” Clarissa greeted Lisa.

“Pleasure to meet you,” Lisa greeted.

“Pleased to meet you as well,” Clarissa said.

“Yes, pleasure to meet you, Mlle. Star,” Martin greeted.

“Shall we go to the front parlor?” Joe suggested, and they moved to the room with the couches and chair and took their seats, Barry handing Martin and Clarissa coffee.

Caitlin and Ronnie were the last to show up, and gave their congratulations as well. 

Caitlin, Iris and Clarissa took Lisa with them to go get copies and could be heard laughing about something. Barry could have sworn he heard the words “brother” and “attractive,” but when they came back in, Clarissa was saying to Lisa, Iris and Caitlin, “You all should come over for Pesach in a few weeks.”

“Thank you, Clarissa,” Caitlin said. Iris nodded.

Iris put the books on the table as they sat. “Now who wants a signed copy?”

Everyone nodded.

\--

When the party was over, and all the guests were getting ready to go home, Iris said to Lisa, “Now, feel free to come over at any time. I would love to find out more about the Opera Ballet.” 

Lisa nodded. “Thank you. I will take you up on that offer.”

Cisco and Lisa walked along the Seine. “So do you actually want to see my inventions?” he asked.

“I find smart extremely attractive, Cisco. If you want to show me, I’d love to see them.”

“Well, the lab is still open today, if you want to see them now.”

“Alright. Let’s go over there now. On the way there, you can tell me about them.”

He walked with her over to STAR Labs, talking about how he and Hartley had worked with a scientist named Gassner to invent a dry battery which could replace the wet batteries that had to be submerged in a chemical solution of ammonium chloride in order to work and the devices were too large to be of any use and stank, whereas the dry cell used zinc and manganese dioxide and used plaster to glue the thing together. He and Hartley had given the other Gassner the patent, but they could use it whenever they wanted and get some of the profits and for any additional research they did on other projects using the batteries, they wouldn’t have to pay. Hartley had gotten another job elsewhere – something about how he and Professor Wells had disagreed on something – but as far as Cisco knew, he was still doing well.

Cisco was therefore working on a lighting device that could be carried around if one went to a neighborhood without streetlights or had to check in the eves without unpacking everything, or without using candles, which were dangerous around insulation, as she was no doubt aware, being friends with Mick. 

She nodded and said, “Mick warned me about how quick horsehair insulation lights up.”

Cisco winced, but was trying not to smile. “Why does this sound like he’s had personal experience with it?”

“Because he has. Apparently he accidentally lit a building on fire by trying to get something from the eves.”

“On a job?”

“Of course. Lenny was so mad at him that he didn’t talk to him for a nearly a month, so Mick wasn’t able to explain that it was an accident and that he hadn’t meant to light it on fire. Then they made up.”

“Huh,” Cisco thought about it, and what he had heard so far about Leonard and Mick’s relationship with each other. “What exactly is their relationship, out of curiosity?” 

Lisa turned to him and surveyed him for a full minute before answering, “Their relationship is not of a sexual nature, if that’s what you’re asking.” It was a short answer, followed by a turn back to gaze at where they were going, and Cisco was worried he had offended her. A moment later, however, she wondered aloud, “If they were in that type of relationship, would you think less of them?”

Cisco answered, “I don’t have inclinations toward men myself, though there are certainly men I find very pleasing on the eye, but I don’t judge people who do.” 

Lisa nodded and wrapped her arms around his again. “Lenny has an interest in Barry that could border on a crush. Mick mocks the heck out of him for it, of course, but Lenny doesn’t deny it. So I’m wondering, what does Barry think of Lenny?”

Cisco laughed. “Oh, wow. Huh. I don’t know. I mean, Barry’s clearly intrigued by Leonard. And there is chemistry there. But he hasn’t said anything. I don’t think he’d object. I mean, didn’t they go out on that date?”

“Hmm, my brother says it wasn’t a date though.”

They laughed about the way they were dodging around each other, and whether they would eventually get together, and reached the conclusion that whether they did or not, it would probably take them way too long.

When they arrived at STAR Labs, she looked at the central lab where they all worked on any group projects. “This looks like where my first ballet training was, before the Opera House was complete.”

“Oh?” he said.

“Look. Here is a chair rail. It’s the same height as a ballet bar.” She turned her feet sideways and held one arm on the rail and the other out to the side. Cisco turned to watch. “See?” She bent her legs, letting her eyes trail along the arm as she extended it at the bottom of each bend before pulling up.

“Does what you are doing now have a name?” Cisco asked.

“Demi-pliés. Come over here.” Cisco did. She took his arm, extended it as hers had been, and turned his knee out, not to the 90 degree angle she had had hers, but to a 45 degree angle. “That is first position for beginners. The way I was doing it is first position for ballerinas, but you don’t want to stretch that much if you are not used to it. Then you squat, and keep you heels on the floor.” He squatted, trying to keep his heel on the floor and lost his balanced. “Careful!” she put her hand on his abdomen and back to steady him. 

He met her eyes. “You’re so pretty.”

She stood up, guiding him up, and kissed him on the lips. “So are you. And smart.”

“You’re amazing,” he said. 

She smiled at him. 

“Shall we dance?” he asked.

“Very well, Cisco.” She put her hand into his, and he put his other hand on her waist. 

“Am I doing this right?” he asked. 

She nodded, and guided them through the dance, with an occasional, “One, two, three.” By the end of it, both were laughing. 

A throat clearing from behind them made both straighten up in alarm. Wells stepped out of the hallway that separated their individual offices from the central workroom. 

“Wells, I didn’t know you were still here,” Cisco said.

“You and Mlle. Star have a lovely relationship and I didn’t want to interrupt your waltz.” He turned to Lisa. “Mlle., you are lovely and I fully encourage your relationship with you M. Ramon here. Would you mind if I borrow him for a moment?”

Cisco followed Professor Wells out of the room and down the hallway. Lisa threw back on her cape and watched them leave. Then she looked around the central office, found a chair, and sat, still looking around the workroom. When a minute ticked by to several, she decided to peak under the tarp at the end of the room. And frowned at the device under it. It looked familiar, a little too familiar and nightmarish for her liking. She took a piece of paper from a stack and began sketching the device out, and had it folded away by the time Cisco came back.

“My apologies on how long that took and on him watching us like that.”

“None needed. He seems very nice, if a little intense.”

“Yeah. He’s having me help him build a time machine. Actually all of us. And since he’s the head of the STAR Lab division…”

“He can. Do you think he actually has some chance of success?”

“You mean will he actually build a successful time machine? I have no idea. But it will be cool to find out.”

“And when did he start building it?”

Cisco shrugged. “I have no idea. He was already talking about it before I got involved, so at least three years.”

Lisa nodded. “It sounds like a thing out of stories I used to hear when I was little. The street kids, gamin, used to tell horror stories when one of them would go missing, how they were locked into a device and someone would do experiments on them, and most were never seen or heard from again. I lost a few friends that one of my friends then insisted was due to this thing.”

Cisco stared. “That’s gruesome.”

“They were children, and children are almost always gruesome when they tell stories.”

“Still, I… I’ll make sure that isn’t what Wells means when he says testing it.”

Lisa patted his arm. “It’s only kids’ stories.”

Cisco turned to stare in the direction of Wells’ office. “Still.” He frowned then shook his head and turned to Lisa. “Shall I walk you home?”

“You may,” she said. 

Together they left STAR Labs and walked up the road to the opera and then up Montmartre to her apartment. “Do you want to stay over?” she asked when they got to her apartment.

“You’re inviting me to spend the night?” Cisco asked. Lisa nodded. “With you?” Lisa nodded again. 

Cisco beamed. “I would like that very, very much.”


	7. Occurrences in the 19th

Snart was lounging against STAR Labs after Barry got off the following week. Barry wondered how long he had been there and whether he had just lounged there waiting for Barry to get off or had looked up or asked around for Barry’s schedule. Snart pushed himself up and indicated a small café across the street. "I might need your help. The situation in the 19th arrondissement has gotten a little too big for me to handle by myself."

"I thought you said you had it handled?" Barry accused.

"The mobs were in perfect balance. Nobody encroaching on each other territory except occasionally, when someone would try to take a hit and someone would try to get control of a block that they wanted that somebody else had, but small scale stuff. Dangerous as anything – there is a reason why I moved myself and Lisa and Mick out as soon as I could, and it doesn't all relate to my unfortunate choice in fathers - but small scale. It's been like that for years. But now there's a new player and it worries me."

"So it wasn’t one of the other gangs?”

Snart inclined his head at Barry’s conclusion. “No, it was a solo guy. And what’s worse is it sounds like he may be trying to set up deals with all the remaining gangs.” He paused, crossing his arms and looking annoyed. 

“Why do I get the feeling you aren’t telling me everything?” Barry said.

Snart closed his eyes. “I’m worried it’s the guy I told you about that Mick went up against, the one who cut him up.”

Barry frowned, trying to recall what Snart had told him. “The guy from the Commune?”

Snart nodded.

“Why did you think it’s him?”

“Various things. I checked, and his name is the same as someone who was reprimanded for being too harsh. And let me tell you, it takes something truly vile to be kicked out of the troops for that week, and this guy was. Also, someone’s seen those knives.”

“They were notable?” Barry asked.

“Notable enough.” 

Barry nodded, taking in the information. “Has Mick seen him?”

There was a moment of intense worry on Snart’s face before he snapped back up the mask. “No, and I don’t want him to. He might try to light him on fire, or the guy might recognize him, and before I know exactly what he’s doing, I don’t want to get into the middle of a mob war.”

“Your friend has a problem with fire,” he observed.

“Yes, how very observant of you. Just what I’d expect of a researcher at the Polytechnique and the Gendarmerie.” Snart punctuated his statements with blinks and shakes of his head, and if it had not been for the seriousness of the situation, looked as though he might have broken into a smile. However, the situation drew him back to the statement. “I let him get it out in controlled timeframes on specific targets. This is not a specific target. There are far too many unknowns.”

“Such as?” Barry asked.

“Whether he’s the guy. What he’s got going on. Even if he isn’t that man in specific, whoever he is, he’s still dangerous and is still planning something that involves playing buddy-buddy with all heads of the mobs, and they are scared enough to let him.” Snart made sure his words sank in before continuing, “I don’t like anyone having that kind of power.”

Barry nodded. “What should I do to help?”

Snart glanced at him and away again. “I would like someone to go up there with me to investigate.”

Barry stopped, blinking. “Why me? I mean I’m willing to but I want to know why.”

Snart pursed his lips and shook his head. “I want to have someone with me, just in case.”

“In case what?”

A momentary expression of panic crossed Snart’s face, too fast for Barry to be entirely sure it was there, but enough to unsettle him, before Snart threw back up his mask. “I don’t know.”

“That worries me.”

“It should. I like to be on top of things in the 19th arrondissement, and it worries me that suddenly, I am not.” Snart met Barry’s eyes again. “On a more practical level, if one of us needs to run distraction, while the other breaks in or something, it would be good to have more than one person.”

Barry took a deep breath and nodded. “I can do that.”

“Good. Then let’s go.” Snart started walking away.

Barry looked after him. “Now?”

Snart turned back and raised an eyebrow at him. “Do you have a problem with going now?” 

Barry shook his head. “I should tell someone where I’m going first.”

“Inspector Ouest?” Snart gave a small tightening of the lips.

“No, Cisco.” When Snart tipped his head, Barry explained, “So that if Joe should show up, Cisco can tell him something other than ‘oh he left hours ago.’”

Snart considered then nodded. Barry disappeared inside and Cisco came out with him afterwards.

“Leonard,” Cisco greeted.

“Lisa would still like to see you,” Snart started, and Cisco’s eyes brightened. “But maybe not in there. Something about that boss of yours.”

Cisco flushed. “Yeah. Will you tell her I’m sorry?”

Snart looked at Barry then rolled his eyes. “I’m not going to be your relay boy. Tell her yourself next meeting.”

Cisco nodded. “Oh, umm, here is a thing I’ve been working on. It actually lights up now for a short time and won’t blow up.” He handed them both a small lightbulb in a cup. “If you aim it and push the end, it lights up. It might be helpful up there.”

Snart looked impressed. “Thanks.”

Barry nodded. “Awesome, Cisco.”

Snart turned to Barry. “Shall we be off? Actually, first I want to swing by my apartment. Accompany me?”

Barry nodded.

\--

Snart lead the way down dark streets across the far side of Montmartre - Barry had forgotten how much the street lamps in the arrondissements he frequented lit things up until they were not there. The streets turned into dirt roads between plain white squat buildings with faded red, blue and green awnings and shutters and occasional rooftops over as they made their way down the staircased hill the was Montmartre. There were also fences surrounding old gardens and at one point a vineyard with grapes growing through the fence. Then the bars, cafes, cabarets, flowers, artists and artistic vistas, and bohemian culture, gave way to quieter neighborhoods. Gray and brown working clothing hung between the houses. Old churches, and buildings Barry was pretty sure were Tudor style, everything built into the hill. There were still shops, in buildings with dark blue and red awnings. They were things like flower shops, optometrists, cheese shops, trade shops and swap shops; Barrels, furniture, ready-to-wear clothing, and second hand shops. 

Snart seemed to know where they were going, at least he kept his head down. Barry did not at first, and more than once caught a querying look from a child who had looked up to see who was passing. A child ran by, brushing past him, and Barry knew if he had had any money in his pockets, it would have been gone. Snart caught a child at one point, and met her eyes with a smile then opened his palm, and in it was a coin. She reached out with quick little hands and snatched it. Snart gave her a hand signal - a hand pointing to his eye and then pointing at her - and she nodded and kept running on.

They made their way out in front of the new train station, Gare du Nord, the train tracks going out for miles beyond the station with its grandiose front of stone and window, buttresses and street lights. Barry stared at it, eyes wide.

“Haven’t you seen it before?” Snart asked.

“Yes, but not up close like this in many years, and only during the day. The new tower that M. Eiffel is building looks absolutely nothing like it, does it?” Barry observed.

“I don’t get over there a whole lot,” Snart said, then paused, nodding at someone who was watching them. The man glanced at Snart, nodded back, and turned his eyes somewhere else. Barry was fairly sure the man had a tattoo around his eye and the shiny shoes of one of the more infamous gangs. As he turned his attention elsewhere, Snart said, “Let’s keep moving. I have told him we are not marks, but I may have also notified the gangs we’re on our way.”

They made their way across a canal - Barry almost missed it, but it stank of stagnant water and of tanning and industry - and into the 19th. The 19th was different. Some streets opened up into clusters that were villages. Others, the air was full of spices. Something that smelled like cinnamon, and something that made him want to breathe more of it in, and other smells too. At one point, one of the shops made him sneeze, and Snart turned around to watch him, spoke a few words to the owner, who nodded and smiled at him. Snart spoke a few more words, and the man shrugged, then gestured a rude gesture and pointed. Snart laughed and nodded, saying something else that made the man laugh and tap a child behind him. The child ran into the shop, and came out with a steaming plate of something, and offered some of it to Snart, who took some and gestured at Barry to follow. Barry did, thanking them, and put the bite in his mouth, after studying how Leonard had eaten it. It was tender and delicious. He said as much and Snart said a few words to the man, who nodded, put his hand on the child's head proudly, and they went along their way.

Barry only noticed they were tracing their way along the canal when he had seen the water again several times. He caught up to Snart to point it out. “Notice something?” Snart commented when Barry started walking next to him.

“See, we’re following the canal, which means the place we’re going is along the canal. But we aren’t following it directly, which has to mean they have people watching it. So this is a fairly powerful, top-down organization, particularly if it can monitor as far away as where we started avoiding the canal. And I know from discussions in the Gendarmerie that the Apache gang, while fairly powerful and wide-spread, isn’t top-down, so not them, which leaves either the Little Elephants, which are barely overgrown gamin and I don’t know their organization structure, and Patron Minette, which by the way is a terrible name for a gang because seriously-?”

Snart interrupted him with a smile. “The Ourcq gang.”

“Oh.” Barry nodded. “I don’t know a whole lot about them.”

Snart looked at Barry to gauge his reactions. “That’s because they primarily stay in the 19th arrondissement and don’t bother people in the richer neighborhoods. Also, they don’t really pickpocket and the only people they kill on a regular basis are either other gangs or their own members who have done something particularly stupid.”

Barry frowned. “Then how are they a gang?”

“They do protection money. And people are scared enough of them and the other gangs that they pay. They own a few restaurants. And sometimes they employ other gangs to do stuff for them, who have to pay them for the pleasure of working on their turf.”

Barry took in the information. “Did you once have to pay them?” he ventured.

Snart’s eyes glinted, and Barry was for a moment convinced that Snart was going to shoot him on the spot. “Not on my own, no.” His voice had a tone that said that if anything further was asked on the subject, he would shoot him. 

So Barry nodded, lay off the subject, and promised himself that he would look up what information the gendarmerie had, if any, after he got back. He asked for clarification and to show Snart he was changing the subject, “And they are the gang we are going to see?” 

Snart looked relieved. “Yes.”

“You said they owned several restaurants. Is there a particular one we are heading for?”

Snart turned to survey Barry again. “We are heading for their main one, the administrative building, as they like to call it.”

Barry wanted to ask how Snart knew this. However, he was certain that fell under the category of things that would get him shot. So he nodded and fell silent.

After a while, Snart gestured at him to stop and listen – a little gesture of the hand out to the side and then that same hand pressed against the back of his ear. A conversation became audible from above. “So this new guy, he wants to meet with the boss?”

“Far as I know, yeah.”

“And the boss, he agreed to it?”

“Uh huh.”

“What’s this fellow want?”

“No one knows other than the boss, and maybe that jerk-off he keeps around.” 

“Nah. That jerk-off couldn’t find his way out a a paper bag, let alone know anything.”

There was laughter. Snart gave his head a little shake then came back to Barry, grabbing his collar and pulling him in to whisper in his ear. “Whatever you do, call me Leonard in there. Not Snart. Got it?”

Barry nodded. “Can I ask-?”

“No.” Snart released him and drew up next to the wall, climbing up on a cart that was there and standing hidden from the light out front by the windowsill. He motioned for Barry to hide himself too. Barry ducked over next to him.

“So what time’s he coming?” the first guy said.

“Hour tops.”

“He didn’t give an exact time?”

“No.”

“And the boss agreed to that?”

“Far as I can tell, yeah.”

“Fuck.” 

The voices were moving further away, down toward the back of the building. Snart – Leonard – gestured that he would go into the building, and that Barry was to wait here. Barry shook his head, saying that he wanted to go in too. Leonard gave a shrug that conveyed that if Barry wanted to, he was not going to stop him. Leonard grabbed hold of the window sills, raised himself up enough to see that no one was in the hall, and pushed himself into the room. Barry followed suit, but had a little difficulty getting into over the sill. Leonard grabbed him and pushed him back into a nook he had found and pointed at two men wearing caps, black jackets, brown pants, red shawls. The similarity between the outfits spoke of a gang uniform.

Leonard gestured for Barry to stay put and to tell him if anyone should approach from the other side, and snuck down the hall after the men, hiding in the shadows when they stopped.

“I’m gonna go take a leak,” said one of the men finally, and walked further towards the back of the building. Leonard watched him leave then in a fluid motion snatched the other man from the back, hand over his mouth and squeezing his nose, other arms around his neck. The man flailed against him, but Leonard kept him away from any walls, and there was nothing for him to kick against. He fell limp shortly afterwards. Leonard dragged him back over to Barry, who was still reacting to Leonard having knocked a man out in front of him. He gestured at the unconscious body Leonard was dragging over and gave a gesture of shock. Leonard shrugged at him and pointed to the man’s clothing; the tone was obvious: if he wanted to be useless, he could, but Leonard had brought him along to be useful. Leonard began stripping the man. Barry sighed, and did so, too, wondering why. Leonard checked down the hall and handed Barry the man’s clothes. Barry shrugged at him: why. Leonard all but grabbed Barry by the ear and shoved the clothes into his hand: explanations could wait. Barry got into the clothes as fast as he could. Leonard nodded at him once he was dressed. “You’re going to lead me in. Say I want to talk with the boss. I’ll handle the talking,” Leonard explained. 

“What do I say?”

“Talk like normal. If anything’s said that you can’t figure out, I’ll interrupt and cover for you. But that’ll make me seem rude, so try not to need it,” Leonard advised, ducking down to tie a cord around the man’s wrists and ankles and shoving a cloth into his mouth, and shoving him into a corner of the nook. 

“Will he be alright?” Barry asked.

Leonard shrugged. “He should be. In a few hours and after one hell of a confused hangover. Besides, he’s a criminal. What do you care?”

“You’re a criminal too,” Barry pointed out.

Leonard turned to him, narrowing his eyes and giving the ghost of a smirk. “Are you implying that you care about me?”

Barry shrugged. “Maybe.”

The smirk became a full one. “Let’s talk about this later. For now, are you ready?”

Barry nodded. 

“Okay, then lead the way.” Leonard nodded down the hall to the back.

Barry stepped out and together they walked for the back. The man who had gone to relieve himself stepped back in through the back door, not locking it. Barry approached him, nodding at Leonard. “This man wants to see the boss.”

The man looked Leonard up and down. “Not bad. What he want?”

“Business has gotten rather stale in the 18th arrondissement. I want to run a job here. Figure I should get clearance for it first so I don’t ruffle any feathers,” Leonard said.

“Yeah, well, you’ll have to wait.” 

“It’ll be quick. I know how long this typically takes, and I generally agree to whatever the cut is, but if you want me to wait, you can take me to a waiting area.”

“Fine. You there, take him to the room off to the left of the boss’s office. And have you seen Rene?” 

Barry said, “Is Rene your partner?”

The man nodded. 

“I thought I saw him out front when I came in.”

“Alright. Thanks.” They watched as the man started walking toward the front. 

Barry turned to Leonard. “Well, Leonard. Let’s go to the waiting room.”

They were able to find it with ease. Leonard went to go sit and nodded for Barry to join him. “They don’t leave people who want to meet with the boss alone last I checked.”

“When did you last check?” Barry stood across from the seat Leonard had claimed.

Leonard clenched his jaw and stared at Barry. “How about you not ask that question now?”

“Will I ever be able to get an answer regarding it?”

“Maybe. I still haven’t decided whether I like you that much.” Leonard leaned back in his seat then leaned to gaze out the door and then glanced at the ceiling. “Now how bout you close that door.” Barry scoffed at him, but closed the door, trusting Leonard had a reason beyond just giving orders. There was still light coming in by the ceiling. By the time he had turned back to the chair, Leonard had moved the chair over to the wall and was climbing onto it. 

Barry watched as Leonard stood up and peered over the wall. “What are you doing?” he asked when a reason for the other man gestures did not become clear.

“From here, I can see who goes in or out of their boss’ office.”

The conclusion would only work if Leonard had seen him before. “You’ve seen him?” 

“Sketch artists who are also forgers are amazing people. Remind me sometime, and I’ll introduce you, provided you won’t tell your gendarme friends.” He glanced down at Barry, smirking. “Also, like most sketch artists, he can also sketch after the fact, provided the person whose instructions he’s following has a good memory. Between you and me, I think we’ll manage. You can peak through that glass panel.” 

There were sounds of someone walking up, and they both fell silent. Leonard set his chin to the edge of the gap and peered through. Barry found the glass panel, or specifically, the gap next to it – he made a mental note to ask Leonard how he knew it would be there later – and peered through it as well.

A man in a black suit approached with long stride.

“Monsieur,” said a man in the mob uniform, running after him, “You must understand. You are early. He was not expecting you yet.” 

The man turned and Barry got his first view of him – sandy moustache, side burns, hair carefully combed: he looked the spitting image of well-tailored society, but for his eyes, which were merciless and emotionless, and looked out on the world like he was wondering whether he could destroy it. Barry held back a gasp. “I know. I figured he would try to set me up otherwise. I’ll leave my man outside.”

A shorter, older man stepped out from behind him, white hair, cruel expression. Out of the corner of Barry’s eye, Leonard’s hand made a quick fist, and he had recoiled from the wall. When Barry turned to observe it directly, that fist had turned white and Leonard’s expression had gone hard and reactive, his posture tenser than it had been before he had seen the man; even his breathing seemed to be more ready to break out of hiding and to fight or flee – watching him, Barry could not tell which. With utmost care, however, he leaned his head back against the wall. Barry watched him gain control of his breathing and posture again, though he remained on his toes, and then put his head back against the window.

The first man was taken into the office by an apologetic man in the mob uniform. The second man started joking with the nervous man assigned to stand guard on him. “Eh, what’s the worst that’ll happen? Boss’ll get mad? Bosses change.” The man turned to the older guest after a second, making an uncertain expression. “It’ll be better with him in charge. No more small turf wars.” 

There was a shot inside the room. The man in the mob uniform started to yell and the older man snapped to and shoved him against the wall, slapping a hand over his mouth. “Shh. It’ll be better under the new boss.” He held the other man against the wall until the man could be certain that he would not be shot, when his posture changed from that of a scared rabbit to that of a calculating alley cat. “I’m going to let you up now. But if you yell, I’m going to shoot you. Do you understand?” The man nodded. The older man let him up. “Good. Welcome to the mob that’s going to rule the 19th arrondissement and one day Paris.” This did not seem to satisfy the man in the uniform, but he said nothing. “My name Louis-Charles, Louis for short. What’s your name?”

“Emile,” the man in uniform found his voice enough to say.

“Well, Emile. I bet you know the best drinks this place serves.”

Emile gave a nod. 

“Let’s get some for Hunter Zolomon, the new head of the Ourcq gang.”

Emile led him toward the front of the restaurant and out of sight.

Leonard dropped to a crouch and gestured at Barry to step away from the door. “We have to get out of here. Now.”

“Wouldn’t it be safer to stay put?” Barry asked.

Leonard shook his head, and Barry noted that though his posture seemed calm, his fingers were tapping against his hip and his eyes kept glanced around. “No, they’ll search all the rooms at this point.”

“The man in black, right? I thought you said you hadn’t met him before. So couldn’t we agree with him then slip out?”

Leonard shook his head again. “I haven’t met the man in black before. But the man’s name from before was Hunter Zolomon as well, and he sure sounds like he matches Mick’s description, doesn’t he? No, we have to go. The other guy I have met before, unfortunately. He was in prison last I checked, and wasn’t supposed to be out for another five years at least. Fuck.” His face went vicious for a brief moment and then he walked over to the door. He checked the place that Barry had been looking through, and opened the door a little, peering both directions, before gesturing that Barry should follow him. 

They crept down the corridor, going the direction they had come from. Someone poked their head out of room. Leonard threw a punch at the man’s stomach and then put him in a choke hold and stuffed his mouth with his own scarf. He spun him around and mimed at the man that if he talked, he would be dead. The man nodded. 

While Barry was taking this second sudden violence in, Leonard gestured to him and gestured at the window they had climbed in by, ducking out and disappearing down from it. Barry followed and was grabbed. He struggled for a moment before Leonard pulled him up in front of him, gesturing to his lips. Barry nodded. Leonard gestured for Barry to follow. 

There was a sudden commotion up above and out front. Several men in mob uniforms ran by. Leonard ducked back. Another loud shout went up from behind them. Leonard and Barry both snapped their heads to it. It had come from the direction they had come from. 

Barry gave a helpless shrug and started shaking his head. Leonard almost snarled as he grabbed Barry and tugged him by the shirt to a narrow nook in between two buildings, barely wider than one person. Leonard darted into it and pulled Barry in after him, all but on top of him. Barry could feel Leonard’s breath on his neck, his heartbeat on his chest, and his legs to either side of his own. They stayed like that, pressed up against each other in the nook, as more men in mob uniforms poured from the alley and into the clearing where the street lights lit up outside the restaurant. Leonard closed his mouth, but turned to watch the men in the street, close enough that Barry was studying his lips and eyelashes, and this was an awful, awful moment to find someone so attractive. Leonard moved his hand from the front of his shirt to rest of his upper arm and gave a small squeeze, though whether out of reassurance or warning, Barry could not tell. 

Then, when the last of them had run by, he turned his eyes on Barry and gave a small smirk at him and tapped Barry’s leg with his own, nodding out of the nook, and brushing up against him as he did. Barry was certain that that was the worst moment, not the one before. Leonard, however, either did not notice or did not see fit to comment, instead sliding out of the nook and down the now empty alleyway they had come in by.

They got back across the front of the Gare du Nord, having long since discarded the clothes Barry had borrowed from the first man in the uniform before either spoke. “What was that?”

Leonard turned to him. “What part of it? The part where we just saw the head of the Ourcq gang get killed and the dead eyed Hunter Zolomon take his place? Because that’s what happened there. The part where a man I thought would be in prison at least another five years is his second in command? That also happened, and now I have to go tell my sister.”

“Who was he, Leonard?”

Leonard walked up to him and kissed him, hard on the mouth. Barry’s brain was still trying to catch up to what was going on when Leonard pulled back. Barry reached after him. “Now, ask about that kiss, and that you don’t seem to be slapping me. But don’t ask about the other thing.”

Barry stammered, “No, I’m not going to be distracted by kisses, even kisses from an individual as attractive as you.”

Leonard raised an eyebrow at him. “You find me attractive? How interesting.”

Barry sighed. “You already knew that from our last meeting. Regardless of whether or not I find you hot as hell, I’m not going to let you distract me from finding out who that man was.”

Leonard frowned at him, a momentary expression of pain – and that was all but half a snarl he was trying to conceal – crossed his face. “Come back to Lisa’s apartment. I’m only going to say this once, so might as well tell you both. But the only reason I’m telling you at all is because you were there, and have the personality to try to find out on your own, which could get you into a whole lot of trouble.”

\--

They walked into Lisa’s and found Mick there as well. There was a can of something on the floor that was not in anyone’s way. Leonard kicked it across the room anyway. Mick and Lisa looked up, alarm showing on both their faces.

“What happened?” Lisa asked. “Tell me at once.”

“Didn’t go well?” Mick said.

“Hunter Zolomon is in fact the man who’s trying to take over the gangs, and after tonight he is now in charge of the Ourcq gang. He killed the previous head of it,” Leonard explained, draping himself down the wrong way over a chair, one leg over the side and one over the back. Barry would have assumed he was just carrying on like a spoiled child, except that he had actually been there to see what he had seen and saw Leonard unable to keep his hands still in agitation, toying with his sleeves, his trousers, and the fingers on his other hand.

Mick was clearly able to spot it too. “And?” 

Leonard sighed, studying Lisa, before unfolding himself and sighing. “Louis is out and serving as Zolomon’s second in command.”

Lisa gave a sharp inhale and starting rubbing her hands together in a way very similar to what Leonard had been doing. Leonard’s hands were now playing with the bottom of the chair, pulling out the fabric between where it was nailed down.

Mick got to his feet. “That does it. I’m lighting him on fire before I watch him do this to the two of you again.”

Leonard snapped his attention over to Mick. “You’re doing nothing of the sort, Mick. Louis knows you. Zolomon knows you.”

Barry spoke up. “Sorry. How does Zolomon know Mick based on a chance encounter fourteen years ago?”

Leonard sighed, glancing at Mick. Mick nodded. “I worked with him, that’s why. After I got back. He wanted someone to pull a job. Leonard here disagreed, and besides, he wanted muscle, not brains. He would have found brains threatening and probably tried to kill you. So believe me when I say he pulled some nasty shit. There wasn’t any life in his eyes, except when he was killing someone. I told him to go to hell, and then he went at me again with knife and gun. Got pretty roughed up before Leonard here distracted him and got me out.”

Barry nodded. “So who’s Louis?”

Lisa and Leonard answered at the time. 

“A rat bastard Lenny took me away from,” Lisa said.

“Nobody of importance, but it makes it a little more complicated,” Leonard answered.

Mick looked at them both and met Barry’s eyes. “Their rat bastard of a father that was supposed to be in jail for at least five more years because he’s a double crossing, murderous piece of shit. If he’s out, it’s ‘cause he was sprung out.”

Barry looked from one to the other of the Snart siblings. “I need to tell the Gendarmerie what happened. And we can put Louis away again. The punishment for escaping makes the sentence a lot longer. It would be better if it was out of your mouths -.”

“What part of thief did you miss, Barry?” Leonard glared.

“But I do understand why it might not be prudent,” Barry finished, raising an eyebrow back. 

Leonard considered. “The gendarmes are right out. But we will need help, particularly to take on Zolomon and Louis. Zolomon knows Mick. Louis knows Lisa and me and Mick. And as much as I trust you to do what you think is right, you might not be able to navigate the entire criminal underworld by yourself.”

Barry nodded.

“Why don’t we tell Cisco and the others at STAR Labs? I’m relatively sure they won’t call the gendarmes on us,” Lisa suggested.

Leonard turned to her. “Why do you think that?”

She shook her head. “Things Cisco has mentioned, but he didn’t say more.”

Leonard turned to Barry. “Do you know anything about this?”

Barry frowned. “Professor Wells tends to be a private person who doesn’t like his work being disturbed. Other than that, I really can’t say anything’s going on.”

Leonard studied him then turned to Mick, who shrugged, and back to Lisa. “Fine. I will accompany you to meet with your M. Ramon, Mlle. Star.”

Barry tipped his head. “Why do you do that? Calling your sister formally?”

“Because he’s a paranoid jerk who thinks it would be better for my career not to be known to be his sister,” Lisa said.

“If you were known to be the sister of a thief, anyone at the ballet could blackmail you into doing things you don’t want to do. If you were known to be my sister, anyone from the criminal underworld could kidnap you to make me do things. Neither of them are things I want to have happen to you,” Leonard explained. Barry was sure from the tone in his voice that this conversation was one they had had many times before, and also that Leonard would gladly have many times again.

Barry nodded. “Makes sense.”

Lisa shrugged. “If you want to accompany me to Cisco’s place of work, M. Snart, I will accept. But do we want to go now? How late are people typically at the Labs?”

Barry shrugged, looking over at the small clock on the walled off mantle. “There will still be someone there, but it will seem weird if we go over now.”

Leonard nodded. “Then we go tomorrow. Barry, do you want to stay over or go home for the night?”

Barry flushed. “Stay over? I… uhh….” He tried to glance at Lisa and Mick for help. Lisa looked amused. Mick grinned wolfishly. They obviously knew exactly what he thought it was and were going to be no help to him. “Where would I sleep?”

Leonard took mercy on him. “We have a spare mattress in the next apartment over where you can sleep.”

“Oh,” Barry said in relief. He hoped his voice did not reveal that he also felt disappointed at the opportunity going away.

“Come on. I’ll show you,” Leonard added. “Goodnight, Lisa.”

“Goodnight, Lenny. Mick.” 

They walked down the hall to Len and Mick’s room. It was a lot sparser than Lisa’s room. Two wood-framed mattresses sat along one wall with a nightstand between them. A bookshelf and a closet with wooden shelves and some clothing were on the other. There was a bowl and a pitcher on the bookshelf and two overstuffed chairs. There was also a mattress leaned against the wall. On the opposite wall was a window letting in a little light from a streetlamp across the way. Overall, however, it was sparse and didn’t seem to actually be lived in. 

“This is just where we sleep when we’re visiting Lisa, under a pseudonym, of course,” Leonard explained. 

Barry nodded. 

Mick pulled the mattress out and flopped it on the floor. Leonard tossed sheets and a blanket onto it. Then Mick and Leonard went over to their respective beds, Mick sitting and taking off his boots, Leonard scooting up on the bed, putting his pillow against the wall and leaning on it. Barry started making his.

Mick studied Leonard from before pulling his boots off entirely. “I can still light him on fire, you know. No one would be any the wiser.” 

Leonard leaned his head back against the wall. “No, Mick. Now is not the time.”

Mick grunted a response and pulled his feet out of the boots, swinging his legs under the quilts. “You’ll let me know when is.”

Barry decided to let it go, as that was what Mick had done.


	8. What Is to Be Done

Lisa knocked the following morning. “We should go over now,” came Lisa’s voice from outside.

Mick grunted, not opening his eyes. Leonard sat up and glared. “Barry, can you get that?”

Barry got up, yawning, and opened the door.

“Good morning, Barry,” Lisa said, striding into the room.

“Alright, you two, up. You can get coffee at the café.”

Leonard ran a hand over his face and blinked at her. “I’m up.” He stretched, cracked his back, and slid his feet into his shoes.

Mick groaned something that sounded rude and covered his head with the pillow. Lisa walked over to the foot of his bed and pulled his covers off him. He was sitting within a second, looking at her as though she had betrayed him. “Lisa, why are you a morning person?” he asked.

“Years of ballet training starting at dawn,” she answered him. “You dropped me off at a few of them even.”

“Yeah, before I went to bed for the night.”

“Lisa, why are you getting us up so early?”

“So we can meet them there and maybe have a little time to scope the place.”

“Scope the place for what?” Barry asked.

“Something Cisco wanted me to do.”

“Ah.” Barry nodded, wondering what Cisco could have possibly told her to do.

Leonard narrowed his eyes. “This sounds like it’s getting serious. Do I have to give him the talk?”

“Not yet.” Lisa shrugged. “Besides, he doesn’t need it.”

“If you say so.” He glanced up and down her outfit. “I see you are wearing your capelet. How should I be dressed to accompany Mlle. Star?” 

“Do you have your blue jacket here?”

“The cop one?”

“Was that the one you were wearing when I met you for dinner?” Barry asked.

Leonard nodded. Lisa nodded too. 

Leonard thought about it. “You don’t want anyone to notice you, but you want to put the fear of the law in them if they do.”

Lisa walked over to sit on her brother’s bed. “Yes. Just in case, you should look official.” She turned to Mick. “Do you have your stable jacket?”

“Always.”

“Good. Meet me at the café downstairs.” Leonard inclined his head, and Mick gave her a sarcastic grin as she went by. “Barry, there’s a toilet at the end of the hall if you want to use it or wash up. I doubt either of these two jerks told you about it.” She left to go to the cafe.

Mick threw on the short jacket he had been wearing when they had met before over his work clothes and suddenly looked like any number of men running around as stable boys, cab or omnibus drivers, train workers, someone no one would check the face of and who could get in anywhere. Barry had to admit, looking at it closely, it was an amazing disguise. He would hold the door open for him if he saw he walking by in a hurry, no questions asked, even after he knew Mick’s face, if he did not first check who it was. Leonard grabbed his own coat, the same one Leonard had met him in for dinner. “Barry, as we’re going to STAR Labs, you don’t need to wear a disguise. However, if you’d like, we have a spare jacket of the type that Mick is wearing. It might help on any later missions.”  
Barry nodded, looking again at Mick. Mick reached over and tossed in over to Barry, who put it on. He draped his other jacket over his arm and stood up to observe the fit. Mick laughed and nodded. “Congrats, you look like a cabbie.”

Leonard nodded. “That will work.”

“Thank you,” Barry said.

“Don’t worry about it.”

“Let’s go find out if the café even opens this early. I bet it doesn’t.”

\--

They joined Lisa at the café. She had already ordered them coffee. Leonard lifted his to his lips, took a sip, and dumped it back down his throat. Mick added milk to his, giving Leonard a wary look, and took a swig. Barry went to do the same and almost gagged on how hot it was. “Careful,” Leonard said, hovering his hand near Barry’s back in case he should have to pat him on the back. 

Barry waved him off. “How do you drink it so hot?”

“Lenny long ago lost his ability to feel hot temperatures with his mouth due to his tendency to do that. Mick has a high temperature tolerance, as one does after years of working with fire. I am drinking it like a sensible person.” Lisa blew on her cup and took another sip. Barry nodded and started to take sips at it too. It was very good coffee.

Afterwards, Leonard offered his arm to Lisa, who took it, and together they walked down Montmartre past the Opera House, leaving Mick and Barry walking next to each other.

“So, Louis?” Barry asked of Mick.

“He tried to kill Len whenever he got drunk when Len was little, fists, bottles, whatever could be thrown. When he started going at Lisa, Len got them out of there. Then he was trying to keep both the cops happy and the mobs and eventually he messed things up bad enough they kicked him off the police force, and then arrest him repeatedly. The last time he tried to come after Len, Len dropped a box of evidence on the Gendarmerie’s doorstep and got him sent away for ten years. Supposed to be end of story.” 

“But he escaped.”

Mick nodded. “If you saw him up there, he escaped.” 

Lisa laughed up ahead at something Leonard was saying. 

“Listen, kid, he’s been my friend for going on twenty five years now. We pulled each other out of some tight situations, and not just being exiled in the Commune. He and I have been through a lot, and he may show you a tough layer, but if you string him along, he’s gonna get hurt, and then I’ll have to hurt you, and nobody’ll be happy.”

Barry caught on to what Mick was trying to do and turned to him, aghast. “Are you giving me the ‘what are your intentions towards my friend’ talk?”

Mick glared. “Yeah.”

Barry gaped when he realized Mick was being serious. “I… umm. I guess I would like to see where it goes. We haven’t even been on a date. I’m not even sure he wants to.”

Mick narrowed his eyes. “I suggest you ask him then.”

“You’re trying to set us up?” 

Mick nodded. “He likes you, kid. Try asking him.” 

“I’ll keep that in mind for some time that’s not the night after we found out that a murderous guy took over two of the mobs in the 19th arrondissement with the help of a man who terrifies both Leonard and Lisa.”

Mick tipped his head. “Yeah, that’s probably for the best. But eventually, ask him.”

They arrived at STAR Labs shortly after 7:30am. Cisco met them at the door. “Lisa, hi.” Leonard gave Cisco a look. Cisco nodded at him. Leonard narrowed his eyes.

“Cisco,” Barry said, “We need to get everyone here so we can discuss what we saw.”

Cisco took a look at Barry’s face, and nodded. “I’ll get everyone together. Everyone’s more or less here.”

Fifteen minutes later, Professor Wells, Dr. Caitlin and Ronnie Raymond, Professor Martin and Clarissa Stein, and Wally were seated in the general lab space. Mick was leaning against a table glaring out at everyone. Leonard was next to him, watching everyone, having told everyone what he knew. 

Barry concluded for them. “So the mobs in the 19th arrondissement are being taken over by this really evil guy named Hunter Zolomon. He’s already gotten into two of them. Snart and Rory here believe he means to completely take over the mobs.”

“To what end?” asked Professor Stein.

“Leonard?” asked Barry.

“I don’t know yet,” Leonard answered, “but we mean to find out.”

“That presents another difficulty. Both these men are known to Zolomon, in Rory’s case, and his second in command, in Snart’s case, meaning that if either of them runs into either of the people we want to spy on, there could be trouble.”

“Immediate trouble of the death variety,” Mick added. “Both of them are hard-hearted, cruel and nasty. Stuff of nightmares if you catch their interest.”

Barry turned to Mick. “Which is why our intention is to avoid catching their interest.”

“What are you suggesting, M. Alain?” Professor Wells asked.

“That we help out,” Barry answered.

“You’re talking about spying on the mobs in the 19th arrondissement. Have you told your foster father or your sister’s husband about this?”

Barry shook his head. 

Leonard stepped in. “We didn’t tell them because they would insist on going themselves, and the thing about the 19th arrondissement is people there – gang or not – can always smell a cop. That would catch Zolomon’s interest, and his second in command is he’s a crooked former cop. We need people who aren’t cops.”

“So you’re suggesting using us?” Professor Stein asked.

“I’m suggesting sending whoever volunteers,” Leonard answered. “In teams with either Mick or me and with strict order to get out if things get too hot.”

“Didn’t you say you were known to Zolomon and his second in command? What would the benefit be to having one of you on the team then?” Wally said. Stein nodded agreement.

“We can duck out of the way. But unless you understand the argot of the mobs, which not judging if you do, you will need a translator.”

“I was able to understand it,” Barry pointed out.

“Then it wasn’t real argot.” Mick looked to Leonard for clarification.

“The person was speaking mostly not argot, or at least not argot from the 19th arrondissement.” Leonard looked around at the incredulous expressions and sighed. “Mick, a demonstration might be in store.”

Mick grinned and tipped his head at Leonard. Then, in very fast speech that sounded like a single word and contained no recognizable French.

Leonard tipped his head from side to side and said something back, sounding bored. 

Mick grinned and said something, nodding at Leonard, who ducked his chin, smiling in what Barry thought must be the most adorable expression he had ever seen. 

“Mick,” he said. 

Mick raised his eyebrows, laughed and said something else, gesturing at the room, then louder, and gesturing to everyone in the room, the way one would if one expected a response, said something else. Then, he said something back to Leonard. 

“I’m sorry. What are you speaking?” Caitlin asked.

“Argot, pretty doctor. Argot of the 19th.” 

“Yeah, you’ve made your point,” Wally said.

“I think it’s brilliant,” Professor Stein said.

“Well, they’ve made their point that if someone starts talking to us in argot, we wouldn’t be able to understand it.”

“So three teams?” Barry said.

“Two. Mick and I.”

“What about Mlle. Star?” Caitlin said.

“Leave her out of this. She goes nowhere near any of this,” Leonard snapped.

“Leaving her out of it,” Barry said.

“Don’t you think that’s for her to decide by herself?” Mme. Stein questioned.

Mick shook his head. “She doesn’t want to go anywhere near it.”

“Where is Mlle. Star anyway?” Professor Wells asked.

“Where is Cisco for that matter?” Caitlin added.

Leonard crossed his arms across his chest and sighed. “I wouldn’t start the manhunt for them quite yet, but if it would make you feel better I’ll go find them. Barry, you and Mick continue to answer any questions.”

Professor Wells got up. “I’ll come with you,” he said, putting a hand on Leonard’s shoulder as he walked by.

Leonard stared at his hand then at his face. “Professor, I think I would prefer to go alone.” When Professor Wells did not unhand him, he took the man’s hand off, returned in to the man’s chest and patted the man’s coat. “I won’t get lost.” 

Professor Wells sat back down, with a somewhat murderous expression on his face. Leonard narrowed his eyes at him and left the room. 

He found Cisco and Lisa in Wells’ office. “So, what are you to lovebirds up to?”

Cisco froze momentarily until he saw who it was. He eased somewhat, but not all the way.

Lisa turned to her brother. “They are working on a time machine, and I was half convinced that it might be the horror stories that gamin used to tell for years there about being experimented on. We found his journals.” She spun one around for Leonard to look. 

Leonard took it and read, “Experimenting on young Jacqueline, fed, pumped through with I-don’t-know-what-these-chemicals-are and put into machine number 37. Machine glowed. Pumped through with a different set of chemicals. These are Wells’ journals?”

Cisco nodded. Leonard noted that there were tears in his eyes. “You respected him?”

“My family is from Puerto Rico, although some of them moved to New York City when I was a child. My uncle came to Paris; I came with him and entered the Polytechnique. When he moved back to Puerto Rico a few years ago, Wells took me under his wing and I respect – respected – him. Now I’m not so sure.”

“I pulled this off of him.” Leonard handed over a thin book. “Could be helpful to your search.”

Cisco opened it and peered at one of the page and gaped, slamming the book closed. “Guys, I uh, this is, this doesn’t say good things.”

“What?” Leonard grabbed the book back and opened it. “Experiment number 43, child, ten years old, birthday 19th March. Injected with some series of chemicals. Did not get sick.” He flipped the page. “Keeps whining about his mom. Note that this is why most of the children he uses are gamin. He does not actually feel remorse, does he?” He flipped the page again. “Boy shows promise. Yeah, promise in what?” He flipped the page again. “Boy’s father found out where he was and came to get him. Oh, that’s great: he snuck into the boy’s house and oh, well, at least here is evidence Wells killed the boy’s mother, and got his father arrested, and he took the boy back.” 

Cisco looked ill. 

Leonard started closing the book.

“Keep going,” Cisco insisted.

Leonard nodded, opening the “Boy escaped. Good for you, kid. Boy was found by his next door neighbor. Wells apparently met the next door neighbor there and said he’d been keeping an eye on him. And he took the boy back and the boy had apparently forgotten everything before he was handed over to the neighbor. With the note that Wells would keep an eye on him.”

Cisco sat down in Wells’ chair, leaning forward on his hand. “I… how could he do those things?”

Leonard said, “People do.”

Cisco shook his head. “I know that people do. But I’ve known him for years. I mean, that must be what he, Caitlin and Stein were arguing about and why Caitlin and Stein were so opposed. But from this, it looks like he went ahead and tested it anyway. I’ve got to tell them. Maybe they can stop him.”

Lisa shook his head. “The date on the top corner of some of these is 1870, even 1869. They might have been able to stop him. Though I doubt they knew the full extent of it.”

Leonard met his sister’s eyes and nodded. “The date on the first page of this indicates 1870.”

“Still, I have to tell them.” 

Lisa said, “You’d better put that back, if you got it off of him. There’s a reason why he’s carrying that one in specific.”

Leonard nodded. “You think he’s checking on this one in specific?”

Cisco nodded. “If he was carrying it, yeah. Maybe to go check up on the kid.”

Leonard nodded. “I’ll put it back. But I’m going to be off in the 19th arrondissement.”

“I’ll keep an eye on him.”

“I will too.”

Leonard inclined his head at the door. “Shall we?”

They left the room. Leonard announced as he walked in. “I found them in Cisco’s office. He was showing off his electric lantern. Very cool device.” He patted Wells’ chest again, slipping the journal back in. “See? Not to worry. I didn’t need help finding them.”

Cisco went over to sit by Caitlin and Ronnie. Lisa nodded at a seat by Professor Stein and Clarissa, who indicated she should sit. Leonard went over to lean on the table next to Mick and Barry. “How goes it?” he asked Barry.

“The others asked where each of the mobs was located. Mick just finished answering.”

“Maybe we should at least let the Ouest and Thawne families know? As mean as Barry and Wally are both going to be going up there. Surely we can tell them our reasoning?” Caitlin asked.

“Barry? Wally?”

Barry nodded. “I think they should at least know.”

“I agree with Barry. Iris and Dad should know. And if we’re letting Iris in on it, we can let Eddie in on it too.”

“If you can keep them from sending cops, fine,” Leonard said. 

“So is our job just spying on them?” Ronnie asked. 

“For now. After we know why they are trying to take over the mobs, we can decide what to do. Either way, I plan to neutralize him.”

“Neutralize him how?” Caitlin asked.

“Do you really want to know the answer to that?” Leonard asked. “It depends on what he wants, but I’m thinking probably killing him. His second in command did escape jail, three times, actually. And this guy is dangerous.”

“Have you already killed people?” Wells asked.

Leonard stared at Wells, knowing what he knew from the journal about Experiment 43’s mother. “I’m not answering that.”

Barry interrupted, “We should go tell Joe, Iris and Eddie. Particularly if taking down this guy is involved.”

\--

“No, Barry. Out of the question. Who is your informant anyway? How do you know he doesn’t plan to kidnap you?” Joe said. Cisco and Wally winced, but Iris nodded.

“He wouldn’t, and if he did, a better time for it would have been when I was up there with him.”

“How do you know he isn’t just feeding you information?” Iris asked.

“Because I went up there with him. Hunter Zolomon and his second in command genuinely scared him.”

“And that’s another thing. You say his second in command is Louis Snart?”

Barry nodded. “Yes.”

“Why would he be involved in something like this? He was a corrupt cop that was caught stealing jewelry. The Gendarmerie itself got involved with getting him arrested.”

“He’s got mob connections. I think they sprang him from jail. Or Zolomon did.”

Joe nodded, as if this confirmed his suspicions. “Which is why I don’t want you involved.”

“It could involve Zolomon taking power in the 19th arrondissement and a lot of people getting hurt,” Barry insisted.

“Let us handle it. We’re cops. It’s our job,” Joe insisted.

“Leonard actually said that was part of the problem. Apparently the mobs in the 19th arrondissement can spot a cop,” Barry said.

“So Leonard’s his name, your informant?”

Barry winced at how he had just blurted that out. At least he hadn’t said his last name. “Yes.”

“Eddie, note that down.”

“Noted, sir.”

Joe looked at Barry. “If they can spot a cop or a member of the Gendarmerie, why can’t they spot you?”

“I apparently look like a civilian,” Barry shrugged, “and there are several new mob members.”

Iris asked, “What if they shoot you? Even as a civilian, they could.”

“They won’t,” Barry sounded a lot more certain than he was.

Iris gave him a gaze that said she saw through his certainty. “How are you sure?”

“My informant,” he lied. 

“This Leonard,” Eddie said.

Joe sighed. “I don’t like it.”

“Listen, I want to help protect this city.” 

“So do I,” Wally said.

Joe looked at Eddie. “Do I have to let them do this?”

Iris nodded. “Dad, when I first said I want to come along with the police to write, you said no and I went anyway.”

Joe turned to her. “I still haven’t forgiven you for that heart attack.” 

“But remember how I used that in my first book?” Iris said.

Joe sighed and turned to Eddie and Cisco. “My kids.” He gestured at the three of them then turned back to Barry and Wally. “Fine. But if anything happens, you’re off the case immediately.”


	9. Leonard’s Team of Spies

Two teams went up to spy on Hunter Zolomon without incident and without running into anyone who recognized either Leonard or Mick. These teams consisted of Leonard and Ronnie for the first one, and Mick and Stein for the second.

Both teams reported back on their finding on the mob’s schedule and what they were doing and when. Leonard and Ronnie had happened into an opening from which they listened to the third and fourth in command of the old Ourcq gang discussing weapons movement, how much they hated the other mob, and their thoughts on when Zolomon was going to take on the new gangs – an estimated two weeks for one, an estimated four weeks for the other.

Stein and Mick had had a passing conversation with a member of the mob as to what the takeover could possibly mean, and whether the other mobster could speculate of why any of it was going on. The mobster was low ranked, but was able to say that he heard that the new guy in charge wanted to take down Paris. They had stopped and stared, Mick saying, “What? Really?” and the other guy had laughed and said he wasn’t about to comment of the delusions of grandeur by a guy who had just taken out two mob heads and was set to take out the other ones. 

 

Lisa and Cisco continued their investigations as well. Cisco had mentioned his concerns to Caitlin: “Professor Wells hasn’t started testing on people yet, has he?”

Caitlin straightened up, her knuckles going white. “Of course not. Why do you ask? Have you found evidence that he has?” She started to push herself to her feet, her eyes glinting in a way that said she might murder someone. 

“Caitlin, you’re not aiming murder eyes at us, are you?” 

Caitlin shook her head, sighing. “If Wells has started testing on people, I’m going to have serious words with him, and maybe the head of the Polytechnique. He suggested it, but Stein and I won in that argument. He is not ready to start testing his time machine yet. Also, it involves throwing a random series of chemicals at people and seeing what sticks if anything. And that could kill people.”

Cisco was glad it was not aimed at him. “Not from recently.” He reassured her. “But I saw a journal that mentioned a bunch of kids from back in the day, around 1869, 1870.”

Caitlin shook her head, sitting back down. “He mentioned something when I first came aboard here about street children being given food and medicine, but not for this project. He has been checking things with Professor Stein and me, and has not done anything.”

“When you got angry at him…?”

“He was suggesting testing it on street children, yes. And I said no. And Professor Stein said no. And he agreed.”

 

Lisa asked Cisco for a photograph of Wells and went to ask some of her contacts at her anarchist club about the rumors regarding children who had gone missing. A lot of them were attributed to the Siege of Paris and the five months of starvation that led people to eat their pets and the circus elephants and restaurants to start offering up gourmet preparation for rat. However there were reports that this had continued afterwards, into the spring of the Commune and had started before. Additionally, in the rumors, there were reports that, sometimes, the children reappeared. One mother told her that her child had reappeared well-fed and talking about a nice man without a lick of memory other than that. When Lisa asked if the child was still alive, she was pointed to a house and given a name. She knocked on the door. A child opened it. She gave the person’s name. “Mommy!” the child called. A woman holding another child came to the door.

“Hello. I’m wondering if I can ask you some questions about what happened to you in October 1870.”

“Who wants to know?” asked the woman.

“I think I might know the man who kidnapped you.”

The woman gave a shrug. “I don’t know what there is to tell. There was a nice man who offered me food. And well, were you in Paris at the time?”

“Yes, we were all very hungry.”

“Yes, so you know. I was in line to get food, and a nice man offered me food. He took me to a place. It was a big place, and smelled very strange, pungent. He told me him would inject me with something to make me not get sick. My memories stop after a point. But, I believe there were other children there, too.”

“Do you know how long you were there?”

“No. It wasn’t until afterwards I found out I’d been in there for nearly a month. May I ask why you are asking about it?”

“A friend of mine might know the man.”

“Thank him for me then. I didn’t get sick nearly as often as the other kids in the neighborhood.”

Lisa stared. “I will. Thank you.”

 

The next person was a friend from back in the day, a former ballet student who had dropped out to pursue other interests. It took her a week to track her down. “Jacqueline,” she said when her friend had opened the door.

Jacqueline frowned then opened her mouth in surprise. “Lisa? Is that really you?”

Lisa nodded. “One and the same. How are you?”

Jacqueline shook her head. “Life is. I am working in the new department store. It is a positive maze. We girls get to try things out once in while. I am enjoying.”

Lisa smiled. “More than the ballet?”

Jacqueline laughed. “I will always love the ballet. But the schooling of Mlle. What’s-her-name was really too much. But you, are you still with the ballet?” 

Lisa laughed. “Yes, I am. I’ve actually been asked to be the lead ballerina’s understudy. Can you believe it?”

Jacqueline smiled at her and then hugged her. “Congratulations.”

Lisa nodded. “And congratulations on your job. Would there be anywhere we could speak?”

Jacqueline nodded. “Oh, where are my manners? Come in.”

Lisa followed Jacqueline into the house. “Please sit. Coffee?” Lisa nodded. Jacqueline came out with coffee. “I was wondering if we could discuss Berni and Ursule.”

Jacqueline almost dropped the coffee. “What about them, Lisa?”

Lisa nodded. “I think I found the place they disappeared. But I need your help for confirmation.”

Jacqueline set down her coffee, leaned forward and pressed her lips together. “When do we go?”

 

After ballet rehearsals and the Opera Ballet that evening, Jacqueline met up with Lisa outside the Opera House. “Come on.” They made their way over to STAR Labs. Cisco had given her a key just in case it was locked. It was. Lisa slid the key in and unlocked the door and the women slid into the building. “This is the lab,” Lisa gestured at the main room.

Jacqueline nodded, looking a lot younger and a lot more vulnerable. “This is where it happened,” she confirmed.

Lisa sighed. “That’s what I thought, but I needed you to be sure. You’re going to like the next part even less.”

Jacqueline gave a small shrug. “I’m in this.”

Lisa walked over and tugged back on the tarp. “Recognize it?”

Jacqueline gasped. 

“That is where the man put Berni and Ursule all right.”

Something moved in another part of the labs. They both spun to look, but when no one seemed to be coming out, Lisa flipped the tarp back down over the machine. “Let’s get out of here.”

Jacqueline nodded, and they slid out the back.

\--

Wells called Cisco into his office again that week, for the first time since they had found his journal. While it didn’t change anything about Wells per se, it was still the first time since he had found out. On his way to Wells’ office, he stopped for a terrifying moment, with the realization that Wells could have found out about the investigation somehow. He had to take a deep breath not to flee, and instead stood up straight and walked the last few steps through his and Barry’s office to Wells’ office.

When he got there, Wells greeted him with a smile and rotated around a piece of paper, gesturing for Cisco to sit. He did and looked at the paper, which seemed to be a design for a piece of equipment. "What's it do?" he asked.

Wells was watching him, but when he looked up, sighed in aggravation and looked away. "Well, it's designed to make things move very, very fast. With it, a train could move at the speed of sound, and there are other uses for it. Cisco, I guess what I'm asking is: do you believe time travel is possible?"

Cisco had no idea where Wells sudden doubt was coming from, or even if that was what Wells was feeling. If people were books, Wells was written in a far different language. "Of course! It's been your project for years, and I'd love to see it work!"

Wells nodded. "Then I’d see if you can get this to work. It is necessary."

Cisco looked down at the designs then back at Wells, realization as to what Wells wanted him to do dawning on him. "You want me to invent a whole new kind of train engine?"

Wells again looked piqued. "No, these designs will make it, as I recall."

"As you recall?" Cisco frowned.

Wells’ face split into the broadest grin Cisco had ever seen there. "Yes, the reason I am so certain that time machine can actually work is that I've been to the future before."

Cisco’s jaw dropped. Had the experiments before been successful then? That changed things significantly. "You have?"

"Yes.” Wells nodded, leaning forward with his eyes dancing. “And wouldn't you like to see the ways technology has improved? Your battery, for instance, is put into cars and let's them move faster than horses, and your portable electric light is put into amazing things, lighting up devices the size of my hand with the information of entire libraries on them. I should like to get my hands on some of these things again."

Cisco realized he wasn’t breathing. He should probably get around to doing that. He wet his lips, swallowed, and found he could breathe again. "That’s… that’s amazing, Dr. Wells."

Wells nodded. "Isn’t it? Make this for me. Make it go around the time machine. And we'll see about taking you to the future as well."

Cisco nodded, taking the paper with the design on it, and got up to leave. 

Wells stopped him. "Oh, and Cisco?”

Cisco stopped.

Wells surveyed him. “You are brilliant. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise."

Cisco nodded and felt like an imaginary knife was in his side. He guessed being mentored by a murderous serial killer was like that: it was still warmer than one would think.

\--

Lisa reported her findings to Cisco, who reported his findings to her, and together they reported to Leonard.

\--

Leonard met with Barry back at the Polytechnique. “I understand that my sister and your friend meet each other Friday nights after the ballet. Would you like to meet up then as well?”

Barry stared. “To discuss what?” he ventured.

Leonard tipped his head. “I don’t know. Why don’t we see where it goes?”

Barry tried to keep himself from grinning. He was fairly sure he failed. “At the restaurant we met at before?”

“Sinners and Saints?” Leonard pursed his lips, considering.

Barry laughed.

“What?” Leonard narrowed his eyes.

“Is that what it’s called? I couldn’t tell because the sign’s so dark.”

Leonard smirked. “That’s what it’s called. It’s been there since well before the Revolution. They tried to change its name, but everyone just kept calling it that so it got changed back. But it has fairly good food, wouldn’t you say?”

Barry nodded.

Leonard dipped his chin smiling. Barry almost melted at that expression and how his smile for once reached his eyes. “Alright, Barry. I ask again: would you accompany me to Sinners and Saints for dinner this Friday?”

Barry did not even try to conceal his grin this time. Leonard smirked at it. “Yes, Leonard. That sounds good.”

“See you Friday.”

“See you Friday.”

\--

When Barry approached Sinners and Saints, Leonard was waiting across the street in his usual disinterested comportment. “How long have you been waiting?” Barry asked.

Leonard turned towards him. “Not long. Shall we go in?”

Barry nodded and they went in and with a nod at the bartender, they slid into the booth they had sat at before. 

Leonard started, “So how do dates usually start? I must admit I don’t go on many.”

Barry shrugged, “Typically, they start with tell me about yourself.”

“I think we’re long past that, Barry.”

“So, I have a question. If you could be anything other than a thief, what would you be?”

Leonard smiled. “I am happy as a thief, Barry. Otherwise, something thrilling.”

“I would suggest cop, but Louis.”

Leonard nodded. “Yes, but Louis. And even without Louis, I have met many corrupt cops. Last time I was arrested: paid a bit of money, they agreed to let Mick and me go.”

Barry sighed. “If you could get me their names.”

“Try all of them over the last ten years.”

Another tactic then. “What about inventor?”

Leonard smiled at him. “With you? In STAR Labs?” Barry looked hopeful. Leonard cast his eyes aside. “Work on that time machine of Wells’? No thanks.”

That got a frown out of Barry. “Why not?”

Leonard sighed. “I hate to break it to you, Barry, but Wells is not half as nice as he appears.”

“I can see what would make you think that. I mean, the man is brilliant, and he mentored me for years. But he’s not the best with people.”

Leonard glanced back at him, changing postures. “Let’s change the subject. Tell me about what you do outside of the cops and the lab. Tell me about your family.”

Barry shrugged. “Well, there’s Joe - he’s my foster father, Wally - my foster brother. Joe’s wife died a couple years ago. And then there’s Iris. She and Eddie got married recently and live up the street. She is an author. He’s a gendarme, like Joe.”

Leonard nodded. “How did Joe adopt you? Remind me.”

“Just before the Commune, my mother was murdered. And my father was arrested on the spot. And Joe, his wife, Iris and Wally were our neighbors. I used to go over to see Iris a lot as a kid. Everyone thought we’d get married or something. But Joe was a soldier in the war, so it took until he got back from the war until he heard what had happened. I was apparently wandering the streets crying when Wells found me and took me in, but he didn’t know where he could deposit me, so he just kind of kept me in the lab. He used to be there more evenings than not. And when Joe got back, and heard from Iris and her mother what had happened and that no one could find me anywhere, he rung up newspapers and printers and had them print my picture. Wells saw it and was able to hand me over.”

Leonard had leaned forward in what looked to Barry like alarm. “You were with him the entirety of the Commune.”

Barry nodded. 

Leonard sat back, blinking.

“What did I just reveal to you?” Barry asked.

“I’m not sure yet. I need to investigate further.”

Barry frowned at him. “But you will tell me eventually?”

“Yes.”

\--

Their information from the spying told them the mines would be next. There were meetings between Zoom and the leader of the gang at the mines. All of the information said the leader was jumpy, suspicious. Leonard said this was a good sign, that maybe that would mean he would not be taken down unsuspecting as the leader of the Ourcq gang was. Unfortunately, the information also said he was arrogant and obstinate, and assumed that his gang had better defenses and that it would not happen to him. Leonard said he would not be taken unsuspecting. Mick insisted he would. 

“Why can’t we meet with him directly to let him know?”

Mick, Leonard and Lisa turned to Barry. 

“I will answer that,” Mick replied, “There are better ways to spend one’s life.”

“Will it definitely result in death?” Ronnie asked.

Leonard nodded.

Mick nodded. “We can try to get close to him. Maybe toss him a warning note.”

“If we put it on police stationary,” Leonard suggested.

“Barry and I can get official Gendarmerie stationary,” Wally said.

“Get it. Actually, Lisa, you mentioned one of your ballet friends has contacts with the Chief of Secret Police?”

“Lenny, that is a rumor. I am not certain she does,” Lisa’s voice warned.

Leonard went over to his sister and took her hands. “If you could. It would seem more official than the Gendarmerie. I do not ask you to blur the line between your work and my work often, but this seems to call for it. And it can’t be traced back to you.”

Lisa nodded. “I will ask.”

“That’s all I need,” he said.

“So we will draft a letter to the effect of a warning to the head of the mine gang,” Leonard concluded to the group.

\--

“Thank you, Lenny,” Lisa said to him later as she and Cisco and Mick were seated at their table in Sinners & Saints. “That gives me the excuse I need to confront her about whether she is in fact in contact with the Chief of Secret Police, what they know regarding both these matters. And to get the official stationary, of course.” 

\--  
“You want me to what?” Amelie turned to Lisa backstage at the ballet. The two women were getting ready to go onstage for the first act.

“Amelie, I know you have meetings with the Chief of Secret Police to discuss your networks. I would like a piece of their stationary.”

Amelie looked her up and down and pursed her lips. “I have half a mind to get you kicked out of the ballet.”

Lisa inclined her head. “I could get you kicked out as well with what I could find out about you.”

Amelie sighed. “You don’t know anything.”

“Paul is a member of the Secret Police and not really an usher at all, and you go out every week with him to the café across the way from the Prefecture to enjoy breakfast.”

Amelie turned to study her. “You have layers, don’t you?”

Lisa flashed her a small smile. “Multitudinous layers, my friend.”

“I should like to meet with you to discuss our networks.”

“Maybe some future time, Amelie.”

Amelie smirked at her. “Yes, maybe some future time.” 

“So will you get me this?”

“I think I will, but in the future, you will have to tell me why you need it.”

“Of course.”

\--  
“Here it is, Lenny.” She set down a paper with the official seal at the next meeting of the spy teams at the Polytechnique.

Leonard picked up the paper, licking his lips as he studied it, pressing it between his fingers. “This will do quite nicely.” He tucked it away. “Thank you, my dear sister. I promise I will not need to ask future services from you.”

“Mmm. In order to get that, I may have promised too much,” Lisa said.

Leonard looked up, alarmed. “Not on your account, surely. Lisa, if I had known you were putting yourself…”

“I did not. And I have already thought of a way around it. It just might involve telling them that you, my dear brother, Leonard Star, are a fence of not entirely legal items.”

“Bringing my identity as your brother closer with that of my thief one, in other words. Are you sure, Lisa?”

“I am,” Lisa said, and went over to Cisco.

“What do you need it for?” Stein asked.

Leonard smiled at him, eyes dancing. “I am, among other things, an excellent forger.” Mick nodded in confirmation. “We can make it seem like the Secret Police has been keeping an eye on these guys, and on the head of the mines gang. Let him know they are a threat, while at the same time making him think that the Secret Police has an eye on him.”

“And, therefore, he doesn’t try to take control too fast in the void left by the other two,” Mick concluded.

Leonard inclined his head. “So I will draft the note. Who would like to drop it off?”

Wally ended up going with Mick to drop off the note. Then, they could only hope that it would work to make the head of the mines gang more suspicious and less likely to be taken over by Zoom and his second in command.


	10. Taking Action

Leonard was standing outside when Barry walked out of the Polytechnique the following day. “Hi, Barry.” 

“Leonard.”

Leonard laced his fingers with Barry’s. Barry smiled, leaned over and whispered, “Would you mind if I kissed you?”

Leonard looked down at his fingers, lifted Barry’s hand and kissed his finger. “Not here. Come on. Let’s go get food.” He led him down the street and into a restaurant.

Wally, Mick, Cisco, Leonard and Lisa were sitting around a table inside the restaurant. Barry glanced at Leonard, as Leonard nodded at them: evidently, they were expecting him and Barry, which given the way that Leonard had not just said they were going to a meeting of the spying group, he was unsure as to what the nature of this meeting was. “Leonard?” 

Leonard had his lips pursed. Barry looked around at the others: his foster brother, Wally, was both all but stepping about in nervousness and avoiding meeting Barry’s eyes; Cisco was glancing at Barry on occasion, then looking down at his hands, folded in his lap; Mick was just staring at him and occasionally shaking his head; Lisa was sitting up straight, a carefully maintained pose to her posture and kept her hand on Cisco’s shirt-sleeved arm, smoothing through his sleeve.

“What is this?” Barry asked.

Leonard tossed over a book. Barry caught it, saw the writing on the outside of it was Professor Wells, and gave Leonard a dirty glare. 

“Open it,” Leonard said.

Barry put it down on the table. “You know what? I can’t believe you all, especially you, Cisco. Wells specifically said not to touch his journals.”

“Barry, just read it,” Cisco snapped at him. Barry looked over in alarm, and saw that Cisco had tears in his eyes. When he started to ask if Cisco was okay, Cisco gestured at the book.

Barry opened it and started reading aloud. “’October 1870. Experiment number 43… child, ten years old, birthday… 19th March. Injected with’” he stopped reading, shaking his head at the list of chemicals, “’why would you inject someone with some of this? That doesn’t sound like a vaccine. ‘He did not get sick. The boy keeps whining about his mom, how she will miss him. Mother’s name is… Nora.’” Barry swallowed, feeling lightheaded, and realized his breath was coming fast and shallow. “Please tell me he didn’t. Leonard, Wally, Cisco, please tell me this isn’t Wells’ writing. The boy he’s describing, he shares my birthday, my mom’s name.”

“Yeah, I know. Keep reading, Bear,” Wally said. 

“’Boy shows promise. Boy’s father found out where he was and came to get him. Boy’s father’s name is Henri.’” Barry closed his eyes, mouthing, “No. Please don’t be, please don’t be, please don’t be.” 

“Barry, do you need a minute?” someone said, and there was a hand on his shoulder, gentle but firm. He looked up and met Leonard’s eyes.

Barry shook his head. “Yes, but I have to know. It won’t go away just because I can’t read it.”

Leonard squeezed Barry’s shoulder then lifted the hand that was holding the journal from where it had fallen and opened the book again to the page. 

Barry continued reading, “The boy’s house was over on the Rue _, number 10,’” Barry winced, “We now live at number 12,” he explained and continued reading, ’as the boy had said several times. Went over. The boy’s mother, Nora, has been killed. The boy’s father will be blamed for it, as he picked up his wife’s body and the knife and tried to stop the bleeding. Sent a gamin to the cops and took the boy back.’” 

Barry legs gave out under him. Leonard caught him before he fell and eased him against him. Wally stood and rushed over. Barry reopened his eyes, saw Leonard’s chest and closed his eyes again.

“Barry, are you with me?” Leonard asked.

Barry shook his head, eyes still closed. 

“Let’s sit him down,” Wally said. Leonard nodded.

“No. Please, I need to see Joe.” 

Wally nodded at Leonard. “I’ll take him. Barry, come on.” He attempted to lean Barry against him.

“No, Leonard. You need to be there to explain,” Barry said.

“Why?” Leonard said.

“Please.”

Leonard and Wally glanced at each other. Wally shrugged at him. Leonard inclined his head. 

“You could always go as Leonard Star, the brother of the ballerina,” Lisa suggested.

Leonard nodded. “Lisa, you, Mick, Cisco, hold down the fort. Joe does need to be involved with this before it goes any further. And I want to find out what actually went on those evenings. Barry.” Barry nodded. “I’m going to need you to walk. Can you do that?”

“Drape an arm over me,” Wally said.

Barry did, and together they half-carried him to the Ouest-Alain house. Wally opened the door and they brought Barry in. Eddie and Iris were sitting with Joe, who stood up, seeing Wally and a stranger carrying Barry.

“Wally, Barry, what happened? Is everything okay?” Joe came over.

Barry shook his head. 

“Inspector, he’s had a little shock,” Leonard said.

“We found out that Wells has been lying to Barry for years,” Wally said.

“Wells kill my mother,” Barry said.

“What? No. That’s impossible, Barry. He’s been your mentor. He found you wandering outside after the murder and took you in.”

“Give him it.” Barry nodded at Leonard. Leonard gave Joe the journal. 

“What is this?” Joe stared at the book and flipped it over before opening to the first page.

“Read it, Joe. Tell me it doesn’t say what I read.”

Joe glanced at Wally, who nodded with a grimace. “It looks like it, Dad.” 

Joe read the first page, his expression growing concerned then outright dismayed by what he was reading. “And this is Wells’ handwriting?”

Leonard nodded. “I pulled it out of his coat.”

Joe focused on him for the first time since he walked in. “Who are you?” 

Leonard sighed. Every instinct screamed against telling a cop this, but it was the fastest way of convincing him that Wells was a threat and that he had actually succeeded in pulling the journal off Wells. “Leonard Snart. I’m Barry informant on the 19th arrondissement.”

Joe gaped. “The Leonard Snart? The pickpocket and bank robber I’ve had numerous complaints about?” And that was what Leonard had been afraid of. Still, the fact that he wasn’t in handcuffs yet said that Joe could be reasoned with.

Leonard closed his eyes and inclined his head. “The same.”

Joe glanced at Barry then back at Leonard, puzzlement growing on his face. “Why are you helping him?”

“I don’t like Zoom, as Hunter Zolomon’s called in the 19th, any more than the cops do.”

Joe shook his head. “Why are you here? What’s to stop me from arresting you?” 

Barry interrupted, “Joe, we need him.” 

They both looked down at Barry. 

By this point, Iris and Eddie had come over. “What’s wrong?” Iris asked. Joe handed her the journal. She opened it, read a little and gasped.

“Barry?” she said.

“It’s Wells’. He killed my mom to keep me for that time machine of his.”

Iris shook her head. “Barry, why would he do such a thing?” 

Leonard replied to her, “Mme. Thawne, I’m going to find that out. Or my sister and Cisco are.”

Joe stared at him. “Are you saying Lisa Star is your sister?” He turned to Eddie. “This is Leonard Snart, by the way.” He gave a shrug that said, “Why is this my life?” and continued, “He’s Barry’s informant in the 19th.”

“Is he?” Eddie turned to Leonard. Leonard bowed his head.

“Barry, you don’t think you could have told us?” Joe turned to Barry.

“Would you have let me go with him if you thought I was going with a pickpocket?” Barry asked.

“No,” Joe answered. “And rightly so. Barry-.”

Leonard saw that this conversation was going to take a while and interrupted before it could go any further, “Listen, he just almost passed out at reading that. Perhaps he should be put to bed and this conversation should be had later.”

Joe and Eddie looked at Barry again. Eddie shrugged at Joe, gestured at Barry. Joe sighed and turned to his daughter and Wally. Wally nodded. Iris was studying Leonard.

“Alright. Just,” he turned to Leonard with an uncertain expression on his face, “Don’t steal anything.”

 

They helped Barry to his room and tucked him in. Wally went to get a cold cloth. Leonard stayed with Barry. “How are you feeling?”

Barry shook his head. “I don’t know why I keep feeling lightheaded whenever I think about it.”

“You trusted him.”

“I can’t believe I did. There I was sitting with the man who in cold-blood murdered my mother.” He aimed to sit up. Leonard put a hand behind his back to help him. “How’s Cisco handling it?”

Leonard shrugged. “Better than you are, which makes sense. But you saw him.”

Barry nodded. “How can I face Wells again? How can Cisco?”

“He’s at a meeting now. I’m going to make a copy of this journal and slip the copy back to him. That way, we have proof of what he did. We just need to find out why.”

“What if he finds out we know?”

“You and Cisco will have to be very good actors until we do. Can you do that?”

Barry nodded, looking entirely unhappy with the situation. “Couldn’t we have kissed before you told me about this?”

“I’ve suspected for a week now. It took till Mick was able to ask Wally a few questions for me to know for sure. And I didn’t want to lead you on knowing that I had some relevant information to your search and you didn’t. That’s the kind of thing I do for jobs, not for not-jobs, not for someone I’m dating.”

“You care about me?” Barry said, surprised.

Leonard raised an eyebrow at Barry. “That is what you got out of that?” 

“Yeah.”

“And I thought I had it bad.” Leonard gave a little smirk. “Maybe after all this is done, we can talk. Though I have to warn you, I’m not really the feelings type.”  
“I’d like that,” Barry said, holding up their hands, and Leonard became aware that he had interwoven Barry fingers with his own. 

“Get some rest,” Leonard said, unlacing them and getting up. Barry nodded. Outside, he turned to find Iris watching them. 

“Do you find something objectionable?” he asked. “Will you tell me to stay away from your brother? Or that after this is done, you never want me interacting with him again, just go our separate ways? I stay in the 18th and he stays here, or at the Gendarmerie, or at the Polytechnique?”

“You care for him.” 

It was an observation, not a question. Nonetheless, Leonard nodded. “Yes, he seems to have worked his way under my skin rather firmly. I don’t want anything bad to happen to him.” He raised his eyebrows. “I don’t want anything bad to happen to him because of me.”

Iris ripped her head. “I will not chase you away. Unless you do something to hurt him. Now go downstairs. My father will have questions.” She brushed past him to go take care of her brother.

Leonard nodded and descended the stairs. “I need you to agree not to go after me until Hunter Zolomon and Wells have been taken care of,” he said to Joe and Eddie as soon as he had reached the bottom. 

Joe glanced up the stairs. “How is he?”

“Resting. Mme. Thawne is caring for him.”

Joe nodded then got up and walked over to Leonard. “Now why are you actually helping my son?”

Leonard tipped his head. “I care about this city, too, Inspector.” He glanced up the stairs and sighed. “And I find myself in interesting position of caring about Barry, too.”

“You consider it a predicament?”

“To care about a cop’s son and another cop’s brother-in-law?” he nodded at Eddie. “Yes. That is quite the predicament for me. Do I have your agreement that you will wait until after Wells and Zolomon are taken care of, and that no matter what, you will not involve my sister in tracking me down?”

Joe stared at Leonard, unsure what to do with these conditions. “You’re fine with us tracking you down?”

Leonard narrowed his eyes. “Fine wouldn’t be what I would call it. But yes, I know what I have done and if you need to, I am fine with it. Provided you don’t involve my sister. Because then I will make you pay with every ounce of my soul.” He closed his eyes. “And if you could not involve Barry in it. If I could have the curtesy of not having one of our meetings be the time you jump out with handcuffs and cart me off to prison.”

“You have my agreement that I will not involve either your sister or my son in tracking you down. As long as you agree to steal nothing before then.”

Leonard smiled at him and gave a small laugh. “I can’t agree to that.”

Joe said something under his breath. 

“Now, I don’t want to have to disappear off the face of this earth until after I’m sure that Wells and Zoom and some other loose ends are taken care of.” Leonard gave a sigh, wondering when he had built such connections that he couldn’t just threaten to shoot the two cops and go take care of his problems himself and leave Wells to those he mattered to – he vowed to ask Lisa and Mick that evening. “So how about nothing trackable, nothing that will appear before the gendarme as a matter of concern? Then, will you agree?”

Joe nodded, but judging by how slow he nodded, it was a hard won agreement. “That I can agree to.”

“Good. I’ll keep him safe when he’s out there. And I’ll find out why Wells did that.”

“Ask Dr. Raymond and Professor Stein.”

Leonard nodded. “Thanks.” He felt open, vulnerable, and there on the coffee table was the journal. He grabbed it off the coffee table and held it up, smirking at all of them. “Off to go rewrite this. Then I’ll give it back to you and slip it back into his pocket. Three guesses how I got it.” 

After Leonard was gone, Joe turned to Iris and Wally, who were watching from the stairs, “I swear, you three will be the death of me.” 

\--

When Barry got up later that day, he came downstairs, grabbed bread and soup and curled up on the couch to eat it without saying a word. Only when he was done did he look up at Joe, his eyes showing betrayal. Joe decided to go over to talk to him, settling down on the couch next to him. “Hey, Bear. You need to talk?”

Barry leaned his head against Joe’s chest. “Joe, can you tell me again what happened the night Wells dropped me off?”

“I had been posting everywhere that you were missing, the police station, lampposts, show advertisement boards, you name it. And then, Wells came by, said he had picked you up, said he found you crying on the streets and took you in. At that point, he said, he was living at the Polytechnique, working to get his lab off the ground with a wish and a shoestring, so he kept you there with him, running errands, keeping you fed and out of harm’s way. And all I could think was, thank goodness you weren’t shot dead in the Commune. And I filed to adopt you the very next day. And Iris took you and wouldn’t let you out of her sight for the first two weeks, saying something about how she felt responsible for not checking up on you. I should have listened to her. I think what she was trying to say was that you were missing before you mom was killed. But then you were here. And when you wanted to go to the Ecole Polytechnique and pursue sciences, we encouraged it, because why not; you wanted to. And I have money from my father. And you have money from your father. So we were able to send you. Ever since I found out, I’ve been going back over it in my mind, and sure, Wells has been a little creepy at times, but nothing like what that journal said, and there was no indication that he was doing that. I don’t think there was any way you could have known, Barry.”

Barry nodded. “Thanks, Joe.”

Joe squeezed his arm around Barry’s shoulders in a sideways hug. “Good. You have me worried half to death, you know.”

Barry sighed, leaning against him. “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you earlier, Joe. I really wanted to help find out what was going on in the 19th arrondissement, and Leonard is easily spooked by cops.” Barry used the argot term for cops as Lisa, Mick, Leonard, and now Cisco were always doing and after he said it, he stopped and gave a weak smile. “If you’d tried to meet with him, he wouldn’t have come, and then we’d still have no idea what is going on in the 19th.”

Joe shook his head. “It’s more than that. You know he’s killed people?”

Barry froze, biting his lip in a considering way. Finally, he nodded. “He didn’t say anything about it, but I figured as much.”

Joe rubbed Barry’s shoulder. “After this is done, you and he will part ways, and we’ll both feel a lot better. And I’ll see if I can get you a full time job in the Gendarmerie, maybe with some time out of one of the teams.”

Barry closed his eyes. “I… I don’t know. I don’t know if I want to part ways with him immediately.”

Joe sighed. “Is this about Cisco and Leonard’s sister?”

“He told you that?” Barry turned to him sharply.

“In a manner of speaking, yes. But can’t they meet up when you’re not around, or why does Cisco even need to meet with Leonard to meet with Mlle. Star? It can’t be good for him to meet with that thief either.”

Barry shook his head. “They’ve already dealt with that. Whenever she’s around, he carries papers that say he’s her brother, Leonard Star who works as a clerk on the 4th arrondissement.”

Joe turned toward him. “Barry, let me ask you: do you even want to keep meeting up with him after all this is over? Let them continue to meet up.” 

Barry glanced sideways, dropped his eyes, and blushed. “I kind of do.”

Joe stared, having seen that expression before and knowing that it could not be what it had meant before. “Wait. What’s that supposed to mean?” 

Barry stayed gazing at the floor. “I think I might have feelings for him,” he admitted.

Joe closed his eyes and gave his head a long, slow shake. “Why? Barry. Why him? You know I’m fine with you seeing men. But must it be him, Barry? He’s a criminal and a murderer.”

Barry nodded. “I know. But he isn’t picking pockets as much now that he’s investigating Hunter Zolomon, and it sounds like he hasn’t killed anyone in a while. And I was hoping I could turn him to other pursuits.”

Joe stared. “What other pursuits would he be good at? Barry, the man is a thief. I hate to sound like Javert from your favorite book or anything, but stories like Valjean’s just don’t happen every day.”

Barry shrugged. “I don’t know yet. But there’s got to be something, right?”

“You know what, Bear?” Joe hugged him again. “I don’t want to be involved with this trainwreck. I’m here for you when things end up badly, as they will. But for the meantime, until he’s done tracking down Zolomon and Wells, I agree not go after him.”

Barry nodded. “Thank you.”

\--

Barry ended up signing up for a number of trips to spy on the gangs: between Zoom and Louis, and the leader of the quarries, they kept him out of interacting with Professor Wells while Cisco and Lisa investigated further. Leonard had returned the forged journal to him. Therefore, Barry and Mick were on the team that was observing Zoom’s activities when hell broke loose. 

Mick and Barry were watching Zolomon and Louis again met with the leader of the quarries gang. Mick and Barry had on their all-purpose jackets to blend into the background of anywhere – which after Mick had covered them with a layer of quarry dust and their faces too and had dressed in a worker’s shirt and vest, he doubted anyone but Zolomon would recognize him and even then Zolomon would have to look at him straight on: they were hiding in plain sight. 

As it was, they had gotten assigned to mine in a seam that went through to the leader of the gang’s office, or, more precisely, a cavern opening a few layers down where he had a desk and chair. Barry was unsure how Mick had done it, a few lines of threatening and suggestive argot – at least according to the gestures Mick made – and the member of the gang looking uncomfortable but nodding along to the right area.

The leader of the gang had gotten more suspicious after their letter, and had called the meeting, apparently. “I now have Secret Police breathing down my neck, Zoom! Before nothing! And you’re the only thing that has changed. You brought them.” He slammed down the letter. Louis picked it up and studied it, implying it was beneath Zoom’s dignity to read every scrap of paper that was thrown his way.

“It says here that they have been spying on you for some time. Of course, that would be the case if it weren’t a forgery,” Louis said.

“A what?” said the leader of the quarries. 

“Your work has fallen off if you can’t recognize it. Though, admittedly, it is a very good forgery.”

“How would you happen to know that?”

“I recognize the handiwork.” Louis made an expression that was a nightmarish parody of pride.

“Oh shit,” Mick said. “Come on. We have to go. Now.” Mick started inching back along the seam.

“You believed in a forgery, my friend,” Zoom said. “It is a fatal flaw.”

Louis pulled out a gun and shot the leader of the quarries before he had a chance to react. He sagged over his desk. 

Mick stuck his head up and glanced down at the sound. “Barry, come on.”

Louis handed the letter to Zoom. “This is my son’s work. That means that he’s been spying on us. And probably that pyromaniac friend of his too.”

“Oh crap,” Barry said, realizing that that was what Mick had put together and why he was running.

“Yeah, that’s why. Louis may be a bastard, but he was always a clever bastard. We got to go.”

“Guards. Bring everyone whose name isn’t on a roster to me immediately!” Zoom’s voice rang out.

“And that’s what I was afraid of,” Mick said, pulling out a device that looked like an oil lamp and held it out like a gun.

“What the hell is that?” 

“Modified blowlamp. Kerosene.” Barry gave him a look. “People tend not to like fire. It distracts them and tends not to require it to be fatal to get the point across. Therefore, we’re more likely to get out of here.”

Barry shook his head, but it did make sense in a very odd sort of way. “After you then.”

Mick thought about it for a second, then gave Barry his spare gun. “You hold this. Can you aim?”

“My dad is in the Gendarmerie.”

“Good. You might need to. Have you killed anyone?”

Barry turned to him in horror. “No, of course not.” 

Mick gave a shrug. “Then if it comes to it, just aim it, and I don’t know, look like you mean business.”

“That I can do.”

They entered the passageway. Shouts from below became much more evident. From the sounds of it, a lot of more people were already aboard with Zoom than they had thought, judging from how quickly they were adjusting to the new leadership. There were shouts as well from people who were not who did not know what was going on and who were being inspected. “It’s probably safer for us to act like we know what’s going on,” Barry said.

“Safer for us not to be caught,” Mick responded. “Now shut up.”

They got to the end of the corridor. Even with their guns at their sides - Mick with his modified blowlamp, Barry with Mick’s gun – neither of them had to use their guns, or even raise them. However, when they got to the end of the corridor, a gang member stopped them. “Who are you?” 

“How goes it?” Mick greeted.

The guard did not look impressed. “Asked who are you?”

“Name’s Michel. Kid’s Jean.” Mick answered.

“Why you running?”

“Heard everybody else was. Wanted to see what the commotion was.”

“Jacques was just shot.”

“Jacques?” Mick asked.

The guard narrowed his eyes. “You part of the gang of not?”

“That Jacques?” Barry butted in.

“Yeah, what’s your feelings on it?”

“Zoom take his place or someone else shoot him?” Mick said.

“Yeah, what’s your feelings on it?”

“I’m a grunt. What do I care what goes on upstairs?”

“He’s got designs on this city,” the guard informed them, watching them closely.

Mick and Barry shook their heads. “Hey, man. As long as I make rent and a little left over for a drink.”

“Yeah, well. He’d like to meet with everybody to see who’s part of Jacques’ gang,” the guard said.

“Now?” Barry asked.

“Yeah. Now.” The guard turned to him. “You got a problem with that?”

Barry shook his head, glancing at Mick.

Mick raised his blowlamp, threw the contents of a bottle of kerosene at the guy, and lit him on fire. The guy yelled and started trying to put himself out.

“What the hell?” Barry said. 

“Come on,” Mick grabbed Barry and set of at a run. “He’s inspecting everyone. Everyone means us.”

Mick threatened anyone who was in their way with the blowlamp. Barry was running alongside him, ducking around people and shoving them out of the way. There was a hot explosion behind them. Barry turned to look. Mick pushed his back. “Don’t look. That guy must have tried to put himself out too close to a deposit.”

“Fuck!”

“Yeah. As nice as it would be to watch, we gotta get out of here.”

“Well, would you look at that,” someone in front of them said.

Mick came to a stop. Barry bumped into him and looked up. They were staring at Zoom.

“Zolomon,” Mick greeted him and shoved Barry into a seam beside them before Zoom could see him.

“Mick Rory,” Zoom greeted. “Still got your thing for packing fire?”

“I’ve found it useful.” Mick shrugged.

Zoom grinned at him. Barry found himself swearing at that expression. Mick winced and swore under his breath, edging over to the wall to see if he could grab at anything. “So you’re the one that has been spying on me. With you partner in crime or alone?”

“Alone.”

Zoom laughed. “You never did work up the skills to be a good liar.” He inclined his head. “He here, Snart’s kid?”

Mick shook his head. “You think we’d be stupid enough to come here together, what with you and Louis?” 

“Shoulda stuck with me, Mick.” 

“You were tearing up people for fun. They didn’t even have anything to do with anything.”

“What do you care?” Zoom tipped his head.

“I care. You found a level of morals I actually have. Didn’t know I had one before I started working with you.”

Zoom lunged at him. Mick lit a rock and threw it at him. He took it in the face and fell back, smirking at Mick again. “Come on. Work with me again. Louis knows his son. He will find him.” 

“Yeah? He hasn’t yet. You break him out?” Mick asked. “”Cause he couldn’t manage that on his own.”

Zoom lunged again and caught Mick with his knife. Mick blasted him in the face with him blowlamp. Some of the deposit dust that had gotten on Zoom lit. He waved it off in annoyance. Mick touched his side and pulled his hand back to show that it was not bleeding and continued inching along the wall away from Barry. 

“I’m gonna get hold of that gun of yours, Mick. And then where will you be?”

Mick laughed. “Hopefully not till I light you on fire completely.” 

“You’re willing to sacrifice your life rather than sign up with me?”

“I’m willing to sacrifice a lot to see you six feet under.”

Zoom lunged again, catching Mick by side and then pulling back. Mick hissed, putting his hand to his side. There was blood. He shrugged at Zoom. “Maybe with a heavy block tied around your feet, at the bottom of the Seine,” Mick continued. 

Mick darted out and crushed another small vial of kerosene over him. Zoom caught him again. “Or on fire. I’d love to see you burn, Zolomon.”

“You’d love to see anything on fire, Rory,” Zoom pointed out.

“True.”

Zoom lunged again. Mick caught his shoulder with the blowlamp. It went up in flames. However, as Zoom recoiled to put himself out, it became apparently he had also sliced Mick across the abdomen, as he was bleeding through a wide patch of his shirt and wincing. 

Zoom took a look at Mick and determined he didn’t care whether he was on fire or not: he lunged forward and grabbed the blowlamp. Mick’s knuckles went white around it. “Mine,” he said. Zoom jabbed him in the side with his knife. Mick yelled but kept a grip on the gun. Zoom stabbed his shoulder and his shirt came away and a good patch of skin too. Mick reached for it, still maintaining his grip on the gun. Zoom sliced into his forearm then into his abdomen again.   
Mick released the blow torch, yelling and gripping at the new injury. Zoom threw the blow lamp over his shoulder and stabbed Mick in the top of the shoulder. Mick buckled under the stabs, glancing about wildly for his blowlamp. Zoom stabbed Mick in the side again, then again in a different place. Mick fell to his knees. Mick was trying not to gasp, but his breath was coming in short, tight hisses. Wet was now dripping onto the ground. Mick tried to push himself up, but his hand slipped on some of it, and he lowered himself back to a crouch, face forming a rictus of pain and hatred as he glanced up at Zoom. “Fuck you, Zolomon.”

“I’ll kill you.”

“Fine. Do it, or are you just gonna talk about it again?”

Barry realized that the reason Mick had been circling was to get Zoom’s back to him, so he could make an escape. Judging by the growing amount of wet on the floor, however, his escape would mean Mick’s death, and he wasn’t going to let that happen. He cocked the gun, aimed it as Joe had taught him to when training him to take the test to help out at the Gendarmerie, and pulled the trigger at the back of Zoom’s head. 

Mick looked up in shock then realized that the gunshot had not hit him and that the weight on him was Zoom. He shoved Zoom to the side and leveled his gaze at Barry.

“Thanks, kid,” he smiled at him and fell over. 

Barry lunged forward, glancing down to see the damage Mick’s gun had done, a giant hole in the front of Zoom’s forehead. Mick was hissing in pain, his arm shoved into his abdomen now that he was no longer bluffing to Zoom, and bluffing he had been. Barry inspected him to see how much damage Zoom had done. It wasn’t looking promising. “Mick, can you walk?”

Mick shook his head, gesturing at his abdomen and his shoulder. 

Barry saw a darkened ledge across the way, one where Mick would be out of immediate visual sight if anyone came up the seam. “Can you crawl over there?”  
Mick saw it, nodded and began crawling. Barry didn’t want to leave him, but every second probably counted at this point. He ran to find the nearest gamin. “You there! Run to get an ambulance.” The kid held out his hand. “You want a franc? Here.” The kid ran off. 

Barry went back to Mick and pressed his hands onto Mick’s shoulder. “How can I help?”

“There should be a kit with bandages at the end of the seam. Get it.”

Barry stuck his head back out of the seam and caught the attention of the nearest miner. “You. Get me the bandage kit.” The man looked at Barry, frowned and ran off. 

“Is he dead?”

“Zoom?”

“No, God. Of course, Zoom.”

“Yeah. Your gun blew a giant hole in his head.” Barry shuttered and handed Mick back the gun.

“Keep it. It likes you.” Mick put the safety on and handed it back to Barry. Barry tucked it away into his coat. “No, you put it here. Better for quick draw and less easy to find by cops.”

“Mick, I’m not going into business as a career criminal.”

“You’re handling it well.”

“He was hurting you and planned to take all of Paris by the sounds of it.”

Mick nodded. “Ah. Hero business. I see.”

The man returned with the bandage kit. “Thanks,” Barry said. Before the guy could run back off, Barry said to him. “This is Zoom. We killed him. He shot Jacques.” The guy glanced at Barry and Mick and edged back then ran.

Mick nodded. “Okay. I’m gonna need you to help me with my shirt.”

Barry did. “Okay, now wrap me.”

By the time the gamin arrived back with the ambulance, Barry had gotten Mick mostly bandaged. They took Mick off in the ambulance, with Barry paying the gamin to notify Leonard, Lisa and Cisco.


	11. Aftermath

After Mick was bandaged up at the hospital, Caitlin, Martin and Clarissa took him back to Caitlin’s wing of STAR Labs, and Caitlin brought in another doctor from the rest of the Polytechnique to tend to him as well. Leonard moved his main base of operations to STAR Labs to care for his friend at every moment he was not off dealing with the aftermath of Zoom’s death. 

Leonard reported back on it to Mick and whoever else would listen. Lewis was still making noise, but had retreated to the gang on the Rue de Bellevue, leaving the other gangs – the Ourcq and the quarries and other smaller ones – with a sudden lack of leadership. The cops of the 19th arrondissement felt it and were running around like terrified chickens. Everyone – cops and gang member alike – was unsure what would happen, and as the gangs had kept the law in the 19th, this was not a good thing. So, Leonard concluded after a week up there, he was going to have to put a new law into place. 

The first thing that required was throwing his name around at the police station. “Snart” got the cops to look up. “His son” got the cops who knew him to nod, impressed. “My little collection of rogues killed Zoom” got them to fall into line. He decided to run through them all to find out who was on the take, how much for, and what would be necessary to get them to stop. In many cases, they requested a raise. However, in just as many, they explained that their safety was at risk on the job unless they took money, or agreed to look the other way. 

Sighing, he went out to see what he could do about them being scared to do their jobs.

Wells grabbed Cisco from time to time, but otherwise stayed away from Barry and the others, particularly Leonard and Mick, though he did stop by to congratulate Mick (and Leonard) on their acts of heroism. Leonard narrowed his eyes and quipped back that they were not heroes and that they couldn’t just let someone take over their old stomping ground unopposed, now could they? 

Cisco always came back looking tired and unhappy, typically muttering something about a motor and a swear or two under his breath. One time he came out looking confused and shaking his head and just sat down, looking shell shocked. When Mick called him over in his typical style since he’d been injured, gruff words laced with swears, he went, but all Mick could get out of him was, “Something from another time, man. Something from another time,” though his expression eventually moved from shell shock to moving between an ear-to-ear grin and a head shake. 

Lisa was being drawn in more and more at the Ballet. In addition to being Amelie’s understudy, Amelie was taking her under her wing in other ways as well, or so she had announced. Lisa reported back that under her wing amounted to meeting with the administration of the Opera for tea. When Leonard and Mick smiled at that and tried to congratulate her, she shook her head. Cisco smiled at her, proudly, but then looked like a miserable, drowning cat when she had her back turned. 

Barry cornered him to ask why. Cisco explained that that meant that she was on track to become the Danseur Étoile, a position that one kept for life, and deserved someone better than him as a boyfriend. “Ask her,” Barry insisted. 

“I could write to my uncle and see what he suggests, but I want to keep her in the style she’ll become accustomed to, dinners with heads of state and opera patrons, not a scholarship student at the Polytechnique who only got in because his uncle knew someone and asked.” 

Barry told him to ask Leonard or Mick, but Cisco just kept shaking his head.

Joe came in to meet with Leonard and Barry. Together, they reviewed reports, maps, and Barry did not want to know what the other documents were or where they had come from. Neither did Joe, judging by what his expression was doing. Leonard at one point in these discussions was smiling off into space in Barry’s direction. Joe saw, did a double take, checked his pocket-watch, did a double take at that and excused himself, insisting he had to go meet with Iris and Eddie and leaving Barry and Leonard alone. Leonard frowned in confusion at Joe then looked back at Barry. “So where were we?”

“I think Joe said what you had so far was impressive, and he and I have both given you our suggestions. So would you like to go out for dinner?” 

Leonard glanced over at Mick, who was lounging there reading through Iris’ penny dreadfuls with an expression of delight on his face, as they had brought them over after Mick had complained one too many times that he hated being injured and he was going to get up and go drink the pain away rather than stay another day in the most boring place in the world. Caitlin had promised Leonard and Lisa that he was healing up properly. Wally, Ronnie and occasionally Cisco (when he wasn’t making small tweaks on the motor) were tinkering with Mick’s blowlamp, trying to get it to shoot fire from a portable source, a blowtorch rather than a blowlamp. Caitlin, Martin, and Clarissa were all talking about something related to time travel: it sounded like they were debating something call closed loop versus open loop and were very animated about it. 

“Alright, Barry. Let’s go get dinner.” Halfway through dinner, Barry leaned over and kissed him. Leonard looked surprised. “Are you sure you’re okay with this? After all, I am a thief and will likely have to go on the run soon.”

“Yeah, I’m okay with it, Leonard.”

Leonard leaned over to kiss Barry back.


	12. Funerals and Blossomings

The 22nd of May, 1885 was the day that Victor Hugo died. The streets of Paris filled with people. The prostitutes closed their shops to watch his body be given a state funeral. Reports that a politician had said, “I was worried he would take us all with him” provided the little laughter that there was. The Opera was scheduled to give a ballet. Amelie and Lisa would be given staring rolls, front billed. Iris, Joe and Barry bought the entire group tickets, and they filed in.   
They ballet was a success. Afterwards, however, as they were leaving, one of the ushers ran out to find Leonard. “M. Star! M. Star!” he said. 

Leonard stood at the alarm in the man’s posture and voice. “What is it?”

“Your sister. She’s gone.”

Leonard’s face had gone hard and controlled, and he asked for clarification, “What do you mean she’s gone?”

“Come quickly. They’re taking the star ballerina, Amelie, to the hospital. She was injured.”

Leonard got up. From the tension in him, he seemed like a big cat ready to pouch. His breath was coming in and out in short gasps, from the minute movements of his shoulders. “By whom?” Leonard all but spat out the question. The usher nodded toward backstage, and Leonard followed. Cisco and Barry exchanged glances and followed. 

Leonard and the usher made a beeline for Lisa’s room backstage. It looked like whoever had been taken out of here had fought on the way. Things – make up, shoes, other costumes – were strewn about on the floor. On her desk was a single perfume bottle. 

In the corner was the older ballerina who had stuck her head out of her room and threatened to tell Lisa’s chaperone about Lisa and Cisco. She had been put on a chair, her legs covered with the coat of usher behind her, another jacket around her shoulders. She held her arms tight across her chest, rubbing the backs of her upper arms on occasion. The usher behind her bent in concern when she did. “Mlle. Amelie, the ambulance will be here soon. Not to worry,” he informed her, then looked back at Leonard, eyes boring into him for answers as to why he was there.

Leonard walked over to her, inclined his head at her and took her hand when she offered it. The other usher raised an eyebrow. Leonard gazed at him for a moment and tipped his head, as he usually did when he was taking in details. Then he focused back on the woman before him. “Mlle. Amelie. You know me. I need you to tell me what happened.”

“We were talking. I was congratulating her. She danced very well. And someone came in, an older man. Lisa, she recognized him and tried to fight him and then tried to grab something. He grabbed me and struck me and then must have grabbed her.”

Leonard’s face had gone ashen. “Could you describe him?”

Amelie nodded. “White hair, cruel expression, triangular face, broken nose that didn’t heal right, a little shorter than you but broader shoulders. Do you know anyone matching any of that description?”

Leonard clenched his jaw. His eyes had gone steely. “He’s got her. I’ve got to get her back.” 

“Who does?” Cisco walked into the room, brushing past the usher who had shown them there.

“A very dangerous man.” 

“Her father, right?” Cisco said.

“My father as well.” He turned to Amelie. “I am her brother. I got her out of there, as you probably are aware. But now he’s connected my identity with hers, and he’s taken her. Did he leave any messages with you?” 

The usher behind Amelie stepped up. “This was on the desk.” He handed over a letter.

Leonard took it, glanced at it and returned his gaze to the usher again. “Did you read this?”

The usher inclined his head. 

“Are you the usher referred to in here?” Barry and Cisco turned to face the usher who had shown them to the room, standing across the hall.

“No, I am here to make sure Mlle. Amelie doesn’t get hurt. She did. Therefore, I am to deliver her to a hospital.”

“You?” Barry asked of that usher. 

Leonard turned to the door, and surveyed Cisco, Barry and the usher across the hall. In a fluid motion, he grabbed the usher, hauled him into the room, held him face down against the desk and checked him for weapons. When the usher did not have any, he spun his around, right side up, and pressed a boot-knife to his abdomen before he could react. 

The usher on the vanity squirmed, trying to put distance between himself and Leonard’s knife. “He told me to lead you to a given location and no one would be harmed. Please.”

The other usher had gotten in front of Amelie and seeing that Leonard did not take any weapons off the usher, took a step towards him. “He appears to be a coward, but not actively involved. And there are no weapons in here that he could grab. Unless… do you know these two?”

Leonard looked where the usher-bodyguard was gesturing at Cisco, who was aiming a gun at the usher on the desk, and Barry, who was staring at the scene, concerned.

“One of them knows Lisa,” Amelie said.

Leonard nodded. “Lisa’s friend and my friend.” He pulled back from the usher. The boot-knife disappeared. “Put the gun away.”

“You know where to find them?” Cisco asked the usher.

The usher shook his head. “I just know where to drop M. Star off at.”

Leonard sighed, glancing back at the bodyguard and Amelie. “This is exactly what I was trying to keep her safe from.”

“I know,” Barry said. 

“He wants me to come alone.” Leonard gestured with the note.

“Like hell,” Cisco said.

Barry nodded in agreement with his friend. “You need one of us with you.”

“I managed fine without you for years,” Leonard snapped. “And the note says come alone or he’ll hurt her. I’m going alone.”

Barry went over to him and reached out to touch his arm, indicating that he was doing it before he did lest Leonard flinch away from it. “Yes. Go alone. But know that Cisco and I’ll be following close behind. She won’t be hurt.” 

Leonard surveyed the bodyguard, the usher, Barry and Cisco and shook his head.

“We’ll get her out of there and signal to you when we have her,” Cisco insisted.

Leonard turned to him. “And what if he has guards or what if he tracks better than you hide?”

“I will send a note to my contacts. They can have someone there,” the bodyguard suggested, his face gentle as he came over to meet Leonard’s eyes.

“Not enough time.” He met the bodyguard’s eyes with a grimace, but the bodyguard’s word seemed to have pulled him back to himself: at least he no longer looked trapped. “The second I’m out of here, I want you to send a note to the Ecole Polytechnique, STAR Labs, to a man named Mick. Let him know what happened and to stay put. As for you two, just stay out of this. He said come alone, and that’s what I intend to do, so she doesn’t get hurt.”

Cisco shook his head. “Not a chance, Leonard. I love her. I’m in.”

Barry repeated, “You have us now. We’ll get her out safely.”

Leonard turned to Cisco. “I don’t know how he’s going to be tracking us. I’d usually use Mick – he’s good at spotting when someone’s following us – but he’s out of commission - getting better, I thank Dr. Raymond for that, but still out of commission. And what’s going to happen is Louis is going to take me from this location here to another location and check to see if anyone’s following. And he’s good.” He gave his head a little shake again. “He’s damn good. You good enough at hiding for that? And to avoid being spotted yourselves? No. I won’t. Joe would have my head if anything happened to you. And Lisa, if anything should happen to you.”

Barry turned Leonard to face him. “Both of us helped spy on the gangs in the 19th arrondissement. And Cisco is spying on Wells and has been getting his journals down and reviewing them.”

Leonard narrowed his eyes. 

The bodyguard nodded as well. “I’ll let my contacts know. They can be there soon.”

Cisco nodded. “We will get Lisa back, alive and unharmed.”

Leonard looked from one to the next and sighed. “If you’re sure.” He pulled the usher up. “Guide the way. If you do anything to betray this to him, I’ll make you wish I’d killed you.”

\--

They followed Leonard through the throngs of people outside to the corner of the Boulevard Haussmann. Leonard gestured for them to stop a block away. One the corner, a man in a striped shirt, a scarf and shiny shoes approached him. “Hi,” Leonard greeted, his drawl dripping with contempt. 

“You him?” asked the gang member.

“He didn’t tell you what I look like?” Leonard asked. “Here’s his note.”

The man took the note and read it. 

Leonard did not take his gaze from the man as he did, and his gaze radiated enough hatred that the man felt it and flinched several times as he was reading. “Thought the Apache gang typically didn’t go in for this type of thing?” 

“Things change, particularly after Zoom.” 

“Yes, I imagine things changed quite a lot. Is he trying to follow in Zoom’s footsteps? Unite the gangs of the 19th?”

The gang member gave a small shrug then pointed at the usher. “You. Forget you ever saw anything. Just a disagreement between father and son.” He turned to Leonard. “You. Follow me.”

Leonard did. They turned off the street with its grand stretches of houses with their grand balconies and found themselves on a side street running straight up the face of Montmartre, with few places to hide. There was a man lounged in a doorway, watching out of the corner of his eyes, while trying to pretend he wasn’t. Leonard could not signal anything to Barry and Cisco, and could only hope that they saw him too. 

They climbed the stairs up to the construction on Sacre Coeur. There was again nowhere to hide with the open staircase. He sighed; his father’s ploy to make sure no one could follow had worked. They approached the construction from the side. The construction itself was deserted, as everyone was observing Victor Hugo’s grand state funeral. 

“In,” the gang member nodded at a small door. Leonard inclined his head at the gang member and entered. The gang member scanned the hill after him then, satisfied that no one was following, lounged against the wall outside. 

Barry and Cisco peered down from the rooftops in the back of the building, where they had crawled to get a vantage point on Leonard, to see where Leonard went. “He went into that door,” Barry said.

Cisco nodded. “How many are there?”

“Only the one that I can see,” Barry said.

“Okay.” Cisco nodded and dropped down from the rooftop onto a wood structure leaning up against the house. “Did he notice anything?”

“No.”

“Great. Come on.” 

Barry dropped down, too. “Where did you get the idea to do that?” He nodded at the roof.

Cisco gave a momentary grin. “Lisa’s cats actually.”

Barry stared. “You know what – I’m asking about it later.”

They rounded the building so they could more clearly see the guy lounging there. He scratched himself, looked out at the city below, and adjusted himself, bored. 

Barry nodded at Cisco, who nodded back: they had followed Leonard without having been seen. Cisco picked up a rock and threw it across the hill. It clattered down against some of the construction off to the man’s right. The man looked after the rock, studying where the sound had come from. “You throw one. Different location.” Barry nodded and threw one off down the hill. From the sounds it made, it must have hit several things. The man unhooked his gun and went to go find out what was making the sounds. “Now.” Together they bolted for the door and made it inside.

Leonard was nowhere to be found. On the bright side, no one else was in immediate view either. “We should hide anyway to make sure.” Barry nodded at a stack of beams leaning up against a wall. They ducked behind them. The gang member who was outside came in, checking the walkway. When he didn’t see anyone, he ducked back outside. 

Barry gestured at the walkway between the stack of beams and the wall. Cisco nodded. They walked the length of the corridor along there, rather than go out of to the main hallway. They peered out at the end of it, where there was a horizontal walkway. Cisco stuck his head out and listened. “I hear voices that way. It sounds like Leonard. You see what they’re doing. I’m going to go see if I can find Lisa. Chances are she’s not in the same room as them.”

Barry nodded and darted out to the left. Cisco ran across the hall and started down the right hallway. There was a light where the voices were coming from, a little clearing at the end of the hall with maps and blueprints. Louis stood over a map. Leonard stood next to him, his head hung down with an expression of distaste on his face. 

“Let me get this straight,” Leonard was saying. “You want me to help you take over the remainder of the gangs and consolidate power in the 19th?”

Louis turned to his son. “That’s what I just said, boy. You seem to have made a fair start with the police up there. I can do the gangs if you can get the police. That way, we can consolidate the 19th, live like kings.”

Leonard scowled. “And if I tell you it won’t work?” 

“I’ll kill your sister, as I said.”

Leonard’s jaw hardened. “I just wanted to see what you would do. I never said I would refuse to cooperate with you.”

“Zolomon and I took down the gangs together. I can get control of them. However, you’ve been getting the cops and several gang members. I want them back.”  
“That’s a little difficult, sir. I’m going through the cops and I’ve already fired a lot of the dirty ones.”

Louis sneered at him. “You would find it a little difficult. How did you get in with them anyway, boy? I don’t see them trusting a pickpocket like you without some planning.”

Leonard frowned up at Louis. “My friends killed Zolomon. That gives a lot of leverage when they were all terrified of him.”

“So you sicced your dog on him?” 

Leonard froze, then gave a slow nod. 

Louis watched his son. “We could bring him on, too, you know. If you want him. I know you’re partial to him.”

Leonard shrugged. “I think this would be better between you and me, sir. Mick doesn’t take orders well from anybody but me and has a volatile temper.”

Louis nodded. “Fine. We’ll use my muscle.”

Leonard asked, “Who is your muscle? I see some Apache gang members. They it?”

Louis said, “That’s my addition and none of your business.”

Leonard held up his hands. “Was just wondering. If I’m going to be helping you plan, shouldn’t I know what your resources are?”

“As I said, none of your business. Besides, if I find out you double crossed me in any way, I’ll start cutting bits off little Lisa, making you watch.”

Leonard rocked back as if from a blow. “I wouldn’t double cross you, sir.”

“You would, boy. Like you used to before you hid your sister from me.”

“I was young and stupid then, as you kept saying.”

Louis studied Leonard again then gave a huff.“Good. Let me show you what I have planned for you to do.”

\--  
Cisco snuck down the hallway to find a doorway in one of the walls. There were people standing guard inside of what looked like a chair - he stuck his head out - definitely a chair, with a person in a dress tied to it: Lisa. 

He unfastened the gun Leonard had given him early on in their search for what Wells was up to and surveyed the room again to count the guards: two from the looks of it. He also unfastened the little bits of his experiments that he kept on him at all times, just in case he got bored and needed something to fiddle with, but were never actually supposed to light up. It was time to sink or swim with it. He thought a silent prayer to whatever controlled luck and technology, wound the lightbulb in wire, and stuck the end of it to the battery. It flared to life. He grinned and covered it with his hand. 

He stuck his head into the room again. Then, he slowly got in between the light and the room and moved his hand from the light. They would be able to see someone was there, but not any details about him.

He picked up two extra tools from where it had been left across the hallway and threw one into the room. 

“Wassat?” said one of the guards.

“I don’t know. Go check it out,” said the other. 

The first guard came out. 

“Hi,” Cisco said. The guard tried to pull out his gun. Cisco hit him over the head with the base of the tool. The guy went down like a sack of bricks. Cisco did not catch him, but instead jumped out of the way, letting the sound carry into the room. 

“What’s going on?” the second guy said from inside, sticking his head out. “Who the hell are you?” he said when he saw Cisco.

Cisco ducked against the wall as the guy pulled out his gun and shot. When the guy was still trying to find out where he had gone, Cisco hit him over the head. He went down. Cisco checked to see if either of them had guns, stuffed them and bullets into his coat pockets and stepped back into the room, picking up the lightbulb and the battery as he went by. He held it up to make sure there weren’t any more guards: there weren’t.

He darted over and pulled the gag out of Lisa’s mouth. “Thank God, you’re here,” she said. He finished untying her hands then hugged her and kissed her. She held his arms and kissed back. 

“You’re okay?”

“I’m fine.” He nodded and began untying her feet. “But Louis kidnapped me and now he’s going after Lenny.” She began untying her feet along with him. “How is Amelie?”

“Fine. She’s apparently got a bodyguard who is sending help.”

She kicked the remaining rope off her feet and got to her feet. “Yes, let’s get out of here before the Secret Police come along. Where’s Lenny?” 

Cisco shrugged. “With Louis.”

Her eyes glinted. “We need to get him out of there.”

Cisco nodded. “Barry’s watching him to make sure nothing goes down while I made sure they weren’t torturing you.”

She closed her eyes. When she reopened them, she met Cisco’s eyes with a murderous expression. “Let’s go get him out of there. I’m not letting him torture my brother.”

\--

There was a shot fired down the hall. Louis and Leonard snapped their attention over to it. “What’s that?” he asked Leonard. Leonard aimed to shake his head, but Louis smacked him. “You weren’t cautious enough coming here or you try to double cross me? Which was it, boy?” 

Leonard straightened. “I do not know who it was. And I wasn’t tracked, if that’s what you mean. Your man should have been more careful.” 

Louis drew his gun and began to walk down the hall, muttering something about, “Utterly useless son of mine.” Leonard took a deep breath and started following him. He reached out towards his father’s gun, drew his hand back and frowned.

Barry saw what he was planning and, taking Cisco lesson, threw something from one of the walls. Louis spun around in his direction. Leonard darted forward and grabbed Louis’ gun from his hand. However, Louis hand too tight a grip on it for Leonard to be able to remove it from his grasp. Louis, turning to his son with a snarl, tightened his grip on the weapon and connected his other fist with Leonard’s cheek. Leonard winced but did not let go of the gun. 

“Traitor of a son,” Louis hissed and grabbed at Leonard’s face. “You’re supposed to be loyal to me, you lying sack of dog shit.” Leonard wrapped his hand around his father’s hand, shoving his father’s hand away from his neck. Louis tried to aim the gun at Leonard. Leonard tried to get the gun away. Louis was stronger.  
Barry grabbed a piece of wood and darted out, hitting Louis over the shoulder with it. Louis fell to the ground, gun spinning away from his and Leonard’s grasp, but he kicked out with his feet, connecting with Barry’s legs. Barry went down. Leonard ran after the gun and picked it up while Louis was still looking for it, and stood, aiming the gun at Louis as Louis realized where the gun was.

“You don’t have it in you, boy,” Louis told Leonard. Barry got to his feet, grasping the board he had hit Louis with. He gave a nod at Leonard.

Leonard cocked the gun.

“Fine. Shoot me.” Louis got to his knees and tapped his chest. “Go ahead.”

Leonard aimed at him but then stood still. 

Louis laughed. “You can’t do it. You can’t shoot me.” He put his hand on his knee to push himself up. “Coward. Because it isn’t loyalty staying your hand. Coward.”

A gunshot sounded. A bullet went through Louis’ chest and Louis’ body fell. Barry and Leonard snapped their eyes to where the shot had come from. Lisa stood there, hands around the gun. She met Leonard’s eyes, giving a sad smile. “He won’t bother us anymore,” she explained. 

Cisco ran up beside her. “Lisa. You…?” he said. She handed him the gun.

Leonard walked forward, reaching down to check Louis' body and then shooting it again. Then he stood, glanced at Barry, tossed Louis’ gun over and looked at Lisa. “Lisa, you’re okay.” She nodded and walked forward. 

“He won’t bother us anymore,” she repeated. He nodded and embraced her. She shuddered in his hold, her hands going up to cling to his arm, leaning her head against his chest. He hugged her tighter, smoothed her hair, and kissed her forehead. Barry and Cisco watched until gradually, she stopped shuddering. Only then, Leonard turned his eyes away from her and onto Barry and Cisco.

“Let’s go home,” he said.

They walked, her leaning against him, him leaning against her, back to their Montmartre apartment. Barry stopped a gamin, the way he had seen Leonard and Mick do many times. “Run to STAR Labs. Tell Mick Rory that Leonard and Lisa are safe.” 

\--

Leonard put Lisa to bed and patted Cisco on the arm, inclining his head towards the room. “Keep an eye on her.” Cisco nodded and took a chair to put outside her room. Leonard sighed and touched Cisco’s arm. “Put your chair in her room, Cisco. If she’s going to have nightmares, she’d rather have you there.” Cisco nodded and went to sit in her room.

Leonard met Barry’s eyes then looked at the door, and together they walked out. “How are you handling it?” Barry asked.

“What?”

“Your father,” Barry said.

“I was hoping the man would rot in prison. I’m just glad he’s out of our lives,” Leonard answered and then stopped, sighing, “He did have a point about there being a lack of power in the 19th arrondissement, and we can’t just trust a second Commune to appear without the hard work that they put into it.” He closed his eyes. “I need to finish cleaning it up.”

“Can I help?” Barry asked.

Leonard turned to him. “You could, but I would personally ask Cisco about what he suspects in regard to Wells. His suspicions are… interesting. I think whatever he’s working on is coming to a culmination. You should be able to get justice for your mother soon.”

Barry nodded. “I will.”

“Well then, I best head up there.”

“Tonight? Will I see you again?”

Leonard stopped. “Do you want to keep seeing each other? Now there is no more excuse of it being purely professional? There won’t be another reason but the personal?”

“There’s still Wells.”

“Whom Cisco and Lisa are handling. Try again. Would you actually like to continue to see me?”

Barry nodded. “I would, Leonard.”

Leonard turned his gaze on him, those blue eyes that had first attracted Barry to him less than five months before at the Opera now seeming to hold a greater depth of emotion then Barry would have thought. As he watched, the emotion in them changed to a hopeful smile, for all it only came to his lips as a small smirk. “Won’t your father mind?” Leonard pointed out. “I am, after all, still a pickpocket. And according to Mick, I have made you a murderer as well.”

Barry shrugged. There was that, but he felt that didn’t quite count as straight up murder. “In defense of another person.”

Leonard took another moment to gaze at Barry and gave a soft laugh at his conclusions. “He doesn’t know, does he?”

Barry bit his lip and shook his head. “No.”

“He would mind. And would forbid us from seeing each other. And I’m not sure it wouldn’t be for the best. That’s two murders I’ve involved you in.”

“Is it only because of that?” Barry asked.

Leonard sighed. “Do you want to continue seeing me?”

Barry nodded, taking Leonard’s hand. “I would.”

The smile in Leonard’s eyes spread to the rest of his face, lighting it up and making him appear years younger and far more vulnerable. It was an expression Barry had never seen there, at least not aimed at him, and he felt a knee-jerk need to protect him from anyone who would dare hurt that expression. “I supposed I can head up tomorrow morning then, and deal with the fallout from Zoom’s and the old man’s deaths. For tonight, I’m yours, if you can keep my mind off of it.”

“Good.” Barry leaned forward and kissed him, once, twice. Leonard leaned forward into the kiss. Barry brought Leonard’s hands up and kissed the palms, then ran his hand along Leonard’s jaw, tipping the man’s head up for another kiss. 

When they pulled back, they were both out of breath. Leonard took his hand. “Come with me.” They crossed the hall into Leonard and Mick’s room at Lisa’s, and Leonard pulled off each other’s jackets and waistcoats amid kisses, with Leonard tugging Barry to the bed to continue kissing him. Towards an hour later, they felt asleep curled around each other.


	13. New Beginnings

Amelie came over to Lisa’s the following morning, followed closely by the much better dressed bodyguard. Cisco squinted at his uniform, the light revealing things it hadn’t the night before. If he didn’t know any better that sure looked like a rank in the Secret Police. He didn’t know which rank – it was too small for that, as though he didn’t want people to know which rank – but that was definitely a rank. He was on his feet and saluting in the way Barry had taught him to salute Captain Singh in a second. “Monsieur.”

“Now, now, M. Ramon. Best not to call too much attention,” the man gestured that Cisco should sit. Cisco nodded.

“I would like to speak with Lisa,” Amelie said.

Lisa opened the door further and gestured into the room. “Amelie, how are you feeling today?”

Amelie shook her head, but seemed to have reached a conclusion. “I have decided that I am too old to put up with this kind of nonsense that just happened at the Ballet.”

“I am sorry, Amelie. It will not happen again.” Lisa took her by the hands and led her into the room. 

Amelie waved her concern away. “Now, now, darling. No need to apologize like a frightened child or one of those stage hands who has left a mess in the walkway.” Lisa smiled at her reference. “I merely came to tell you that I am retiring, as of now, and I thought you should know before you find our directors in a state. They will after all need a new star ballerina. I have put in your name, as you, your chaperone and your lover, which my congratulations are due, all seem to be able to fend for yourselves against whatever the world has to throw at you.”

Lisa stared at Amelie. Cisco met the member of the Secret Police’s eyes. “Amelie! Are you certain?”

“Yes, I will be leaving Paris within a week to go retire to somewhere in Sweden, on Paul here’s estate, and to get married.” She cast out her hand in the member of the Secret Police’s direction.

Paul smiled and took her hand, patting it gently and kissing the back of it. “Amelie would like to see her family.”

She smiled at him. “Yes, there is that, too.” She glanced back at Lisa and Cisco. “So goodbye, dearest friend, and good luck.” She swept over to Lisa again and took her in her arms.

“Good luck, Amelie.” 

Amelie pulled back and wrapped her hand around Paul’s arm. “If you need me for anything, send word via the Secret Police, addressed to Amelie Fronika. They are the fastest way to reach Paul and he will pass on the word to me.”

Paul smirked. 

Cisco narrowed his eyes. “I’m sure they are.”

Amelie looked from one of the other. “Oh come now. You wouldn’t turn him in even if he were his father, and he won’t turn you in for whatever it is you have done, so leave it at that.”

“If you know anyone who needs a job with the Secret Police, I can put their name in with the correct people,” Paul said to Cisco and bowed a little to Lisa. “Shall we be on our way?”

Lisa laughed. “I will miss you, Amelie.”

With that Amelie and Paul were off.

“Was that Fouche’s son?” Cisco said. 

Lisa shook her head. “Sometimes, Cisco, it’s better to pretend one doesn’t know.” She held out her hand, much as Amelie had done with Paul. “Come on then.” She imitated Amelie’s tone then broke into a laugh when she saw Cisco’s expression. “Walk me to the ballet. I imagine the directors will be absolutely beside themselves.” Cisco offered his arm, and they set off towards the ballet.

\--

Lisa was correct about the ballet directors being beside themselves. They came over, taking her hand. “Mlle. Star, there you are. Mlle. Amelie is leaving us and we must ask if you are up to the task of taking on her role.”

Lisa nodded. “You know that as her understudy, I am prepared.”

“Yes, we will also need your understudy to take on your role permanently,” the other director said.

“Marguerite will be overjoyed.”

The first director said, “We would like to have you go through Amelie’s dances, just to make sure.”

Lisa gave a curtsey. “Then I will get ready to astound you and the audiences.”

The directors nodded at Cisco. “Is this your patron? He is welcome to stay to watch you, too, if he wants.” 

Cisco flushed and backed up. “I am not her patron.”

Lisa looked at him. “He is a very close friend.”

“Well then, either way, if he wants to stay, by all means,” the second director beamed at Cisco.

There was something in his gaze that was hungry. Cisco backed up still further. “I should meet with…”

“Nonsense! We insist.”

Lisa nodded, taking hold of Cisco’s hand. “Stay?” She met his eyes, hopeful.

Cisco swallowed, nodding. 

“Good. I will go get ready.” She let go of Cisco’s hand and smiled at him and then walked off towards her dressing room.

“Well, my young man. You must be very proud,” one of the directors said to him.

“Of course he is,” said the other, “Now, tell me, what is your title, and what would you prefer to go by?”

\--

“I can’t keep dating her,” he told Barry, Joe and Wally on arriving at their house later the next day.

“Why not?” Wally asked.

“She’s now the first ballerina. The rehearsal was a success. They loved her – I mean, of course, who wouldn’t? She’s perfect. But they asked me whether I had a title, whether I was her patron, what balls I was planning on attending, whether I would like them to introduce me. I just, I’m not that person. I can’t afford to be that person. And even if I could, I’m still not the type of person who can introduce her at fancy society balls. And she deserves someone who can.” 

“She hasn’t expressed anything to this regard, has she?” Joe asked. Cisco shook his head. “Then keep dating her.”

“I’m worried she won’t say anything, but will think it. I’m worried everyone will think it.”

“Cisco, you got the light lit up. Patent it. Then everyone will want to know you and you can take Lisa to the balls,” Barry suggested.

“Yeah, but what’ll everyone think! She deserves someone who won’t embarrass her.”

Joe sighed, sitting down next to Cisco. “I wouldn’t be too worried as to what everyone else thinks,” Joe said. “Listen, you like her, right?”

Cisco nodded. 

“And she likes you.”

Cisco shrugged. 

“She does. I’ve seen her around you. So, Cisco, keep seeing her.”

Cisco nodded. “Okay. But I’m just like.”

Barry nodded. “You love her.”

Cisco raised an eyebrow at him. “Hey Barry, not to change the subject or anything-.”

“Which means you totally are,” Wally said.

Cisco continued, “How’s Leonard handling?”

Barry nodded and looked at Joe. “He went up to clean up the 19th arrondissement, making sure the power change is controlled, so there isn’t a mob takeover or utter anarchy up there.”

“Have you seen him since the incident with Louis?” Joe asked.

“No, but Joe,” Barry bit his lip, “he and I are going to keep seeing each other on an ongoing basis.”

“Still?” Joe turned to stare at him. “Tell me, is he still picking people’s pockets as his job or have you managed to convince him to try other employment?”

“Right now, he seems to have taken on a role as a police consultant going through the cops in the 19th.”

Joe raised his eyebrows. “Oh, so he’s using his old complaint about them being corrupt to make money?”

Barry shook his head. “He wouldn’t, not with Louis’ history. I’ll find out how he’s supporting himself tomorrow evening, but as far as I know, he hasn’t picked anyone’s pocket in the time we’ve been seeing each other. Actually, aren’t Caitlin, Ronnie and Mick coming by tonight? Mick probably knows more than I do.”  
“So you’re going to meet up with him tomorrow night?” 

Barry glanced at Joe and bit his lip again. “You promise you won’t go after him?”

Joe sighed. “If you’re sure about him, Barry, I’m not going to stand in your way. I just don’t want him breaking your heart.” 

Barry met up with Cisco in the hallway when both had gotten free from first Joe’s questioning, and then Iris and Eddie’s questioning, as they had swung by in the middle of Joe’s. “How goes it with Wells?”

Cisco took a deep breath. “You sure you want to know?”

Barry nodded. “I wouldn’t be asking if I didn’t.”

Cisco shrugged. “I’m building his machine, and I’ve actually gotten it to work a few times.”

Barry gaped. “As in, you’ve gotten it to go to the future?”

Cisco tilted his hand back and forth. “We’re using a visual display of where it would go. But, I’ve actually gotten it to vanish a few times.”

Barry nodded. “Wow. So is he still testing on kids?”

Cisco shook his head. “He’s changed devices since then. No more testing on children, not since ‘75. But Lisa told me, several of the kids were okay afterwards. He just sent them on their way vaccinated, fed with decent food and vitamins and minerals, but unfortunately, without any memories of what actually went on.”

“How?”

Cisco shook his head. “I don’t know, Barry. He didn’t note it down anywhere.”

Barry nodded. “Has he noticed I’ve been avoiding him?”

Cisco shook his head. “He’s been avoiding the main area, because we’ve got Mick there, being a general nuisance. I’ve got to tell you, when you get over the big guy with a love of fire thing he’s got going, he’s actually pretty funny, and he has all sorts of suggestions for projects to work on. I think Ronnie’s got him working on five of them.” Barry laughed. “Wells hasn’t gotten past his hard exterior, though and tends to avoid him. Of course that could be because Mick threatened to light him on fire for like a week after the two of you took care of Zoom. So he hasn’t seen the main room really and thinks you’re there.”

Barry considered. “I should probably go interact with him again.”

“Only if you want. I’ve told him you’re still busy dealing with Zoom and off with Leonard cleaning up the 19th arrondissement, which actually gets a really bizarre expression on his face every time he thinks about it – do you think he and Snart interacted ever before we introduced them?”

Barry shook his head. “Leonard hasn’t mentioned it. Does he know we know about the experiments?”

Cisco shrugged. “I don’t think he knows. But if he does, I don’t think he cares. I have to say, it’s weird, knowing he did all this stuff and still working with him.”

“I can only imagine.”

Cisco shook his head. “There were still a bunch of kids who were never seen nor heard from again. I don’t know what he did with them, but some were kids Lisa used to play with. They went in. They never came out. I have to deal with that every time he tries to take me under his wing.”

Barry nodded. “What should we do about him, Cisco?”

“I don’t know.” Cisco considered. “But I’ll think he’s going to be out of our hair in little over a week if we don’t do anything.”

Barry frowned. “So he’s going to get off free for what he did to those kids and my mother? We can let him go back.”

Cisco nodded.

\--

When they asked Mick, still bandaged up and now complaining about it, which Caitlin insisted was a sign he was doing better, about how Leonard was earning a living, he groaned and said, “I have no idea what he’s living on, but he’s got a bunch of paintings he could sell as copies. Near as I can tell. It’s romantic and stupid what he’s doing, getting out of a perfectly respectable career.” 

Joe asked, “So he hasn’t been stealing anything?”

Mick rolled his eyes. “No, damn him. Says he wants to straighten up his image. It’s all your fault,” he gestured at Barry and then at Joe. “Says he doesn’t want you torn between your old man and him.”

Barry gaped. Joe patted Barry on the back.

Mick waved Cisco over. “Cisco, tell Lisa I give her my congratulations. Knew she’d make it.”

“She hasn’t gotten anything yet.”

“But you and I both know she will. Ballet’s not really my thing.”

Cisco laughed. “Please tell me you didn’t start a fire there.”

Mick chuckled himself. “No, but they thought I did. So tell her good luck for me, because she’s going to be there a lot over the next few weeks.”

Cisco nodded, beaming from ear to ear.

“Oh, and a little something from my investigations.” Mick handed him something.

Cisco opened it and gave Mick a sidelong look. “Flip further into it.”

Cisco did and gaped. “What? Really? He’s actually from… oh, wow, that explains a lot, actually.” 

Mick shrugged. “Seen stranger things. Not many, but a few.”

Cisco stared at it. “Does that even-? Could he potentially-? This has so many implications.”

Mick nodded. “Hey, man. It all gave me a headache when I tried to think about it.”

Barry asked, “What did?”

Cisco shook his head. “You don’t want to know. Let’s just say Mick found out why Wells wants to go to a particular year.” 

Mick nodded. “Oh, and Barry, I think I’ve figured out a way to get my blowlamp to actually blow flames.”

Barry sighed. “That’s going to get you into trouble someday. More than it has already.”  
Mick shrugged. “Yes, but now I have the specs for a portable kerosene burner.”

Cisco shook his head, patting Mick on the abdomen. 

“Ouch. Carefully. That still hurts.” 

Cisco went over to Barry and Joe later that evening. “I think I know why he did it.”

“Who?” Barry asked.

“Wells. He definitely killed your family. He’s already been forward in time, back then. I used to think that was why he kept that journal on him, because he was able to send you forward through time. But we recently got a view screen up and working, no chemicals involved. And I don’t think he went before through the machine. I think he may have come from that other time.”

“What?” Joe shook his head.

“The reason he had the time machine initially and was originally testing it? He came back with it.”

Joe sat. Barry frowned. “Does that mean that he knows what’s going to happen?”

“I don’t know.”

“In knowing what’s going to happen, could he change the future?”

Cisco pointed at him. “I was wondering the same thing.”

“When is he from?”

Cisco shook his head. “Probably the time he’s trying to go to - in the distant future, 21- something. And he’s apparently trying real hard not to change things.”

“Well, he killed my mom.”

Cisco shook his head. “There was something he found in the future, a newspaper clipping or something.”

Joe said, “Saying what? That Barry’s mom died?”

Cisco shrugged. “I don’t know. He referenced it at one point in one of his journals.”

Barry nodded. “The one Mick picked up?”

Joe turned to stare at Cisco. “Is that’s why you have Mick there?”

Cisco said, “One of the reasons. Wells tends to try to avoid him. So Wells is staying away from Barry.”

“Always a plus, given what he did,” Joe said.

Barry shook his head. “I can’t just let him get away with it.”

“His time machine will be done a little over a week. So let’s start planning a way for him not to get everything he wants.” 

Barry frowned. “So if we’re going to do something, it has to be now.”

Cisco nodded. “I was thinking of a potential way.”

“I need to confront him.” Barry said to both Cisco and Joe.

Joe put a hand on Barry’s shoulder. “I’ll support you no matter what you choose to do. If you need me not to tell the Gendarmerie, I’ll make sure they aren’t around.”


	14. The Time Machine Makes a Few Changes

Barry slapped his dress gloves in front of Wells. Wells looked at them then up at Barry. “What is this?”

“You killed my mother and had my father imprisoned for life. Why?”

Wells steepled his finger and leaned forward. “Ah. So you and your friends have found that out.” He gestured for Barry to sit. Barry remained standing. “Your father tried to take you back. You were a more successful experiment, you see. I found you running around the streets and took you to see if you would work. I had taken many street children before and kept them healthy and fed and from getting sick. In exchange I gave them a mixture that I had learned worked well with time machine and led them to sit inside the time machine to see if they would go forward. A few of them lit it up correctly but then died. But you, M. Alain. You got my time machine working for even a split second on the first try, and you disappeared for five minutes. And then came back, talking at a million words a minute about the pretty glass-floored skyscrapers. And as I was about to get inside to be able to return to my time, it stopped working. But with you, I could get it working for short bursts.”

“Your time?”

“In case it hasn’t become clear to you, I am from the future. That time with the glass-skyscrapers? One of those was my office. I could get out of this city, this time, with your help.”

Barry shook his head. “I don’t remember it. And when is your time?” 

Wells sighed. “Years in the future. 2150s. As for the reason you don’t remember it, I couldn’t very well have you or any of the children remembering what I was doing.”

Barry scowled at his nonchalance. “And that still doesn’t explain why you had to kill my mom.”

Wells shrugged and looked up at Barry. “What do you want to hear? I did it because your father put several more years between me and returning out of these technological dark ages, and I wanted to take something from him to show my displeasure.”

Barry shook his head. “I would have helped you willingly if you hadn’t. But now I have to avenge her. You know that, Wells.”

Wells tipped his head, studying the gloves then Barry’s face, and raised an eyebrow. “Is this a dual then, M. Alain?”

“I am prepared to dual you, yes.”

Wells stared at him and smoothed the gloves on his desk. “You are aware that you are not some hero out of Dumas’ books and that if we fight, I will win?”

“I still need to avenge her death,” Barry said.

Wells got up, taking the gloves and handing them back to Barry, a half-delighted, half-bemused expression of his face. “Fine. Let’s duel. Shall we say tomorrow at sunrise? What shall our weapons be? I’ll give you the choice, even though by all rights I should choose the weapon, as the person challenged.”

Barry nodded. “You and I both know how to use pistols.”

Wells inclined his head. “I was half-worried you’d say swords.” He walked over to a small cupboard on the side of the office then turned to Barry, leaving it unopened. “Surely a written apology would suffice, M. Alain?”

“Would you mean any of it?” Barry asked.

Wells gave his head a little shake, but the delighted smile was still on his face. “Fine. Duel at dawn tomorrow with pistols. Where shall we have it?”

Barry named a location within Paris. 

Wells nodded. “I take it Cisco is to be your second? Or would you prefer to have M. Snart?”

“M. Snart.”

Wells nodded. “I see. I will go prepare for tomorrow then.” He gestured at the cupboard and waved Barry out of the office. Barry left, with a feeling that it had not gotten the reaction he had wanted. He decided to go see Leonard. 

\--

“You did what?” Leonard asked as soon as Barry sat at their table and announced his plan. “That does it. I’m taking you home. Now. Actually, we’re swinging by to get Cisco first. Then, I’m taking you home and talking to Joe about this.”

\--

“You did what?” Cisco echoed Leonard when he heard. Iris, Eddie and Wally weren’t much better. 

“I had to.”

“He could have written an apology.” Leonard said. “Or just have written what he did, in detail, and confessed to it, so your father could get out of jail.”

Barry shrugged. “Joe, I need your dueling pistols.”

Joe shook his head, but asked, “What rules did you set?”

“Surely, you’re going to discourage this?” Iris asked Joe.

“How is he to get satisfaction against Wells? The man killed his mother.”

Cisco shook his head. “There are other ways. Like going to jail.”

“Though jail doesn’t have such a good track record of keeping people in recently,” Leonard reminded them.

Cisco turned to him. “I thought you were on my side, Leonard. Exile then?”

“Where he can come back?” Leonard brought up.

“What if we convince him that we’re going to send him back to where he wants to go and then don’t?” Barry said. “Would that be an option, Cisco?”

Eddie turned between Cisco and Barry, alarmed. “Does the machine actually work?”

Joe also turned to Cisco. “Do you actually believe his story about being from the future?”

Leonard was watching Barry and nodded after Joe asked his question, “Does it actually matter as long as he believes it?” 

They considered.

“But how will that help Barry?” Iris asked. “He’ll still be here.”

“I have actually gotten things to disappear from the machine,” Cisco said. “I’ve found the setting that gets them to just disappear in time versus go to the right time. And it doesn’t really work to get things to appear for very long in the right time, but if they just disappear, they don’t come back.”

Everyone was staring at Cisco now. 

Leonard nodded. “We get him to write a confession. Then send him wherever he thinks that machine will take him. Would that satisfy, Barry?”

Barry nodded. “That would work.”

Cisco nodded. “I’d better go see to getting his machine wired up.”

\--

Cisco and Leonard met with Lisa in the café by the Opera House.

“I’m still in rehearsals but I seem to have gotten an hour free for dinner. So I would like to invite you to be at my opening night tomorrow,” Lisa announced then leaned forward and grabbed both of them. “Please. And invite Mick too.”

“Of course we will, dearest sister,” Leonard said.

“Good. How’s your life been?”

Cisco looked at his feet. “Wells is from the distant future. That’s been confirmed.” 

“And Barry challenged him to a duel yesterday.”

“That’s awful. Can he even duel?”

“Not really. Which is why we’re going to fire up his time machine and send Wells to any time period that’s not here,” Cisco said.

“It works?” Lisa said. “I thought the last time it only worked for brief amounts of time.”

Cisco tipped his head, met her eyes, smiled, and looked at his feet again. “I’ve gotten it wired up to send him somewhere. However, it will almost certainly not send him to his own time. But it lights up and the screen is showing the right time. I will need to do some additional work on it tonight to make it believable.”

“Where does it send him?” 

“I don’t know,” Cisco shook his head. “I don’t really care as long as it’s not here.”

Lisa leaned forward to kiss him. He came away looking worried, but Lisa had already turned to Leonard. Leonard, however, saw and raised an eyebrow. “How is Barry with this?” 

“We’re going to get Wells to agree to give Barry what he needs to get his father out of jail.” Leonard held his sister’s gaze. “Beyond that, he agrees with Cisco, it would be better if the time machine didn’t work.”

Cisco nodded. “The implications on potential future and past events alone.”

Lisa nodded in agreement. “I will be there after my rehearsal to make sure Wells gets the message so he believes it.”

“Good. Now eat and have a good rehearsal.”

When dinner was over, Leonard grabbed Cisco and shoved him out of the cafe. Cisco looked startled but not scared. Leonard narrowed his eyes at him.

“Why are you acting embarrassed every time she looks at you?” Leonard asked.

Cisco tried to shrug Leonard off. Leonard grabbed him and met his eyes. Cisco looked to make sure Lisa was not in hearing distance. “Because she’s going to be the star ballerina, and her directors want to know what society parties I would like to accompany her to, Leonard.”

Leonard gave a shrug. “So accompany her.”

Cisco grabbed Leonard by the lapels. Leonard glanced down at his hands and back up at him, tipping his head. “I am not society ball material.”

“Fake it.”

“I am not you. I can’t just fake it. Besides, what if someone finds out and it reflects negatively on her?” 

Leonard gave a soft chuckle. “You begin to see my issue.” He unwound Cisco’s hands from his shirt.

Cisco gaped. “You mean you’ve been dealing with this feeling ever since you came up with her Lisa Star identity?” 

Leonard nodded.

“What do we do?” Cisco asked in a hushed voice.

Leonard inclined his head. “You could always tell them the truth. You are after all a star inventor at the Polytechnique’s STAR Labs. As for me, I will always be her dear brother who works as a clerk. And who is shy and is not interested in dating.”

“I hate you sometimes. And no, I can’t just tell them I’m an inventor at STAR Labs. She deserves someone who can take her to society parties.” 

“If you break up with her now, we will have serious words.” He gazed into Cisco’s eyes, his expression once again deadly, just in case Cisco had forgotten. “Do I make my point?”

Cisco shrugged in desperation but sighed and nodded. “Yes, you make your point. But listen, it’s more than just that. She deserves someone who can take her to the society ball and not embarrass her.”

“You love her?” Leonard asked.

“What?” Cisco’s face flushed.

“I asked: do you love her?” Leonard repeated.

Cisco nodded. “Yes. With all my heart, yes.”

Leonard smiled. “I’ll see what I can do. Now we should go to STAR Labs and ask Mick and Ronnie to help us get the thing to light up. I wouldn’t mind Wells not being able to return here.”

“Yeah.” Cisco nodded.

“Oh, and following the duel, I might need to disappear for a while into the 19th arrondissement. Give Barry my regards?”

Cisco shook his head. “Uh uh. You are not breaking up with Barry now. If you do, you and I will have serious words.”

Leonard laughed. “I’m actually not breaking up with him. I have to go undercover in the 19th. Flash around that Secret Police paper.”

“You’re sure that none of this has to do with you not wanting to deal with Barry’s dad?”

Leonard gave a shrug and smiled at Cisco. “I would be lying if I said that it entirely didn’t.”

\--

Cisco ran into the house shortly after midnight, a tired but very satisfied Lisa and Leonard following him, Caitlin, Ronnie, Stein, Clarissa and Mick following as well. “Okay. We’ve got the machine wired up properly.”

“I can’t believe it’s true, Barry.” Caitlin hugged him. 

Barry shrugged, “Neither could I at first.”

Stein said, “If either of us knew, I can assure you, Wells would not have been for long.”

Caitlin turned to Cisco. “Are you certain this will work?”

“It will.” Cisco nodded. 

Leonard nodded. “If it will work, I for one am not eager to see you get into a duel.”

Joe nodded. “Have you sent the change of plans to Wells?”

Leonard got up. “I’ll go notify him. Somebody listed me as his second.” He scowled at Barry. 

Cisco shook his head. “No need. I’ve notified him.” Barry turned to Cisco for clarification. 

“So we’re just going to let him go into whatever other time he wants,” Caitlin said.

Cisco shook his head. “We’re going to let him use the time machine. And he will vanish by it.”

“After signing a document that frees your father,” Joe said.

\--

Dawn came. Not many of the people in that household slept. Those that did got their catnaps on the couch. Leonard, Mick, Eddie, Barry, and Joe sat at the dining table, drafting a document they could have Wells sign. Cisco, Stein, Clarissa and Caitlin were deep in conversation. At dawn, Lisa, Iris and Ronnie awoke to coffee. “Let’s go,” Leonard looked down at them, circles under his eyes, but looking happy with the situation. 

They filed out of the house, and walked over to STAR Labs to wait for Wells. “Ah. I see you’ve brought everyone.”

“I see you got my letter,” Cisco said.

Wells turned to him. “You would do so well in the future. There are inventions beyond your wildest dreams that you could piece together and create amazing things.” 

“Once I might have wanted that. I did look up to you, you know.”

“I know. I’ve written you a recommendation that will let you complete your PhD early, and a few other things. You are ready for it.”

“Ready for what?” Cisco said.

Well smiled at him, then turning to Barry, he said, “You would do incredibly well in the future, too, Barry. Those chemicals I gave you were designed to enhance you, but it cannot be done fully without technology that hasn’t been invented yet.” He put a hand on Barry’s shoulder.

“Get away from him,” Joe said.

Barry shrugged it off. “I’m doing fine here, as is Cisco.”

Caitlin stepped up to him. “I cannot believe you tested it on kidnapped children. I cannot believe I worked with you on it. I thought those early programs were to make children healthier.”

Wells looked at her. “You were making them healthier. None of the injections you administered were for my experiment, just to keep the kids alive.”

Caitlin shook her head. “I can’t believe I worked with you and respected you.”

“I could take you with me. Women are treated more fairly in the future. You could bring Ronnie, if you want.”

Caitlin shook her head. “I don’t want to go with you.”

Wells sighed, turning to Joe. “So you want me to sign a bunch of papers. Then you’ll let me go?”

Barry nodded. “That’s the plan.”

“Where are the papers?”

“Here.” Joe handed them to him. “You sign here, here, here. Then you get into that machine of yours and I don’t ever want to see you again.”

Wells nodded. “I want to see that my time machine works before I sign them.”

“I’ll shoot you if you try to escape,” Leonard said.

Wells turned to Leonard. “Why could you have left well enough alone?”

Leonard gestured at Lisa, who stepped over to him and explained, “Because some of those children who vanished were my friends.”

Cisco said, “I’ve hit the switch to get the device working.” The machine whirred to life, a person-sized capsule with lights, electricity, a motor and a quick whirling thing around the top of it.

Wells spun around and surveyed the machine. “It is, isn’t it?” He reached out and touched the machine, smiling at it, then inspected several part of it to make sure it was connected. “You really are a genius, Cisco.”

Barry smacked him in the chest with the papers. “Sign or you don’t get to use it.”

Wells turned to him. “I am sorry that your mother had to die, but here. No sense in your father being in prison after I’m gone.” He signed the papers where Barry and Joe indicated then handed them back.

Wells got into the machine and sat down on the bench inside. “Ready, Cisco?”

“Ready,” Cisco said. “Everyone. Get back.”

Wells hit the button inside the door. The machine lit up in camera flash. The room shielded their eyes. There was a smell of smoke. And then Wells was gone. 

Stein was the first one to speak. “Was it successful?”

Cisco grabbed a device from the table. “Almost certainly not. Even if it did take him somewhere, it couldn’t have taken him to the right time. And I’m reasonably sure it didn’t.”

Stein turned from Cisco to Barry to Joe to Caitlin to Leonard. “Are you saying you killed him?"

“Technically no, but he didn’t go where he wanted, and reading some of his note about things that can get you if you time travel wrong…” Cisco shrugged. "I don’t know what happened to him, Joe. But he’s gone.”

Barry handed Joe the papers Wells had signed. “Here. Let’s file these away.”


	15. Summer

The first thing Henri did when they got him out of prison was hug Barry, and then he shook Joe’s hand. They took him back to the Ouest-Alain house, Joe putting him up in Iris’ old room. 

When Caitlin first met him, she suggested he read up on her books. After all, working at the Polyytechnique, where doctors are trained, does have a few benefits. She suggested he meet with a colleague of hers. The following day, Barry showed him STAR Labs as took him to meet with the colleague. He was hired on the spot to assist with the doctors and given training to get him up to speed. 

A week went by with Barry moping around between the house and STAR Labs. He had thought having his father back would be better, and it was great, but Leonard had told him he had to disappear for a while, and he had seen neither heads nor tails of him since. 

Cisco was up to see every one of Lisa’s performances. When Barry stopped him, he said that neither he nor Lisa had seen Leonard. When he asked Mick, who grunted at him on being interrupted in getting his blowtorch right, Mick said that Leonard was probably still dealing with the mess that was the 19th arrondissement.

Barry went and sat by his father while the man was studying, but it wasn’t often he had any sitting time at all. So Barry started looking to the papers for any idea as to what Leonard was doing up there.

He had just about found out the name the papers used to refer to Leonard, with some reference to the head of the police in the 19th, when a man in a clerk’s suit walked in. “Is this the workplace of Monsieur Cisco Ramon?” he asked.

Barry went over to him. “Yes, it is. Who needs him?”

“I am here to deliver a message that Eobard Wells left him a good deal of money, including a note to the Ecole Polytechnique that he would like him to succeed him as the Director of STAR Labs.

“What?” Barry did a double take. “Hang on. Let me get him. Wait there.” 

He grabbed one of STAR Labs messengers and sent him off to where Cisco and Lisa were eating dinner. Cisco and Lisa arrived little under fifteen minutes later.  
“What is this?” Cisco asked.

“You are Monsieur Cisco Ramon?” the clerk asked.

“Yes.”

The clerk held out a letter. “Sign here. Confirming receipt.” Cisco held out a pen and signed, opening the letter.

“I what now?” Cisco said, gaping, and then handing the note to Barry. 

He turned to Lisa and took her hands, “Lisa! This mean I’m rich. We’re rich! Now I can take you to the society balls you're going to be invited to as the Danseur Etoile of the Opera Ballet.”

“Yeah.” Barry said, doing a double take on the amount of money. “Very.” 

He handed the paper to Cisco, who took a look at it and made a squeaking sound, of the type that he would usually joke was undignified, but now that seemed to be far from his mind. Lisa looked up. “What? How much is it?” 

Cisco handed it back to her and took her by the arms as she read it. “Lisa, will you marry me?” he asked.

She handed the note back to Barry, her eyes lighting up at the question.

“Wait what?” Mick turned around, nearly burning himself on his project.

Lisa turned to him. “Do you object?” 

“No, I just wasn’t aware you were at that stage of the relationship.” 

She turned to Cisco. “This isn’t a joke. You do actually want to get married? To me?”

Cisco gaped at her. “Are you kidding? Of course! I was worried I wouldn’t be able to keep you in the style a star ballerina deserves before, and I wouldn’t be able to take you to parties, and I wouldn’t be able to… Oh Lisa, you’re perfect.”

She folded her arms across her chest. “You’d better not think I’m stopping ballet.”

Cisco took her hands. “What? No. Of course not. Why would I want you to stop now that you’re getting the position of star ballerina?”

Lisa opened her eyes wide at him and joked, “You’re not marrying me just for my position, are you?”

“Of course not!” Cisco blurted out, before realized she was joking and smiling at her.

Lisa laughed and leaned close to him. “My answer is yes, Cisco.”

Cisco pulled her into a hug. She kissed him. Barry cheered.

Mick narrowed his eyes at Cisco, “There isn’t a reason this should be a shotgun wedding or anything, is there?”

“No,” Cisco blushed. “Not that I would mind.”

Lisa turned to Mick. “That would get in the way of my dancing.” She turned back to Cisco and gave him a peck on the lips. He followed her lips back to give her a quick kiss as well. She did the same back again.

Leonard said from the door in fascination. “With anyone else, this amount of saccharine sweetness would drive me out of the room, probably screaming.”

“Lenny!” Lisa ran to him. “Cisco proposed.”

“Really?” Leonard said. “Mick, how your aim with your new blowtorch?”

“Ah, come on. They’re in love,” Barry said.

Leonard laughed. “Note I said ‘anyone else,’” Leonard responded to Barry. “Congratulations, Lisa.”

Lisa smirked at him, smug as a cat that knew it had gotten the cream. “Lenny, I’d like you to walk me down the aisle.” 

Leonard nodded, smile growing. “I’d be honored, Lisa.” 

Mick grinned. “Can we still joke with him a little?”

Cisco shrugged. “You realize I’m right here.”

Mick laughed. “Ah, but that’s half the fun of it.”

She smiled at Mick. Then, to Cisco, she said, “We should invite your family from New York and Puerto Rico.”

He grinned at her and nodded. “I can’t wait for them to meet you. I always said you needed to meet my uncle. Now you can meet all of them. My parents, my brother, although you might not want to meet him – he’s a bit of an arrogant jerk.”

She leaned up and kissed him again, and he grinned at her, a besotted smile on his face. “I’d love to meet your relatives.”

\--

Leonard stayed long enough to smile at his sister, report into Barry, Joe and Eddie, and then disappeared back into the 19th. Barry decided to pay a visit to one of the newspaper publishers, though when Iris found out what he was doing, she accompanied him, put her writing notebook on the journalist’s desk and asked what the new de facto head of the 19th arrondissement police was up to. 

“He’s really good at what he does. No one’s sure who he is or where he came from, well at least none of the journalists are, but he’s apparently doing great things in terms of setting up an anti-corruption board and a community policing program and a mentorship program to help kids out. I’ve met the man. He’s nice.”

Two days later, Barry went up there in his stable hand jacket, and stood there, leaning against the door of the police office of the 19th. He heard Leonard’s voice from within. “I don’t care! It’s out of the question! I will not enter my name as arrondissement mayor, and that’s that! As soon as I’m done managing to make it livable up here, I’m heading back to my life.”

Barry snuck off again, and stopped a constable who was walking around. “How are the police doing under your new head?”

The constable beamed and began talking a mile a minute about how much better things were going now.

Barry nodded, thanked the constable and wandered back off. 

Two weeks later, Leonard sat on Joe’s couch, holding a cup of coffee and sorting through Cisco’s paperwork, and his own, with him alongside playing cards with Joe, Henri, and a still bandaged Mick, though now the restriction about him having to stay under supervision was lifted and he could go where he liked, Caitlin did say he could take the bandages off at any time and that he was just wearing them to get sympathy. Lisa was there too, discussing with Iris the plot for what sounded like an excellent new book. There were also comments regarding serial publication in a new journal. Barry sat next to Leonard, occasionally asking questions about the card game, which was apparently a game that both Mick and Henri knew well and Joe was quickly learning. 

While sorting through the paperwork, Leonard informed them how he was doing. “I’m almost done cleaning up the cops in the 19th arrondissement. Most of them handed themselves over when I went looking. Apparently, they were so scared of Zoom that they figured I had to be better. And after being reassured that I didn’t plan to take up where he left off, the few – and I do mean few – clean cops have been helping me clean up after the sudden change in power. They’ve even put me on the payroll as their director, when I refused pay as a consultant. Now, though, they keep insisting I run for arrondissement mayor of the 19th arrondissement. I just want to go back to my life when all this is done. Maybe try my forger’s hand at painting. But look, I even pulled a sheet of paper stating I was a candidate away from one of them. He didn’t even have the self-preservation instinct to look sheepish.”

Joe and Mick met each other’s eyes, with Mick nodding. “Yeah, who would ever think that you’d do a decent job at being in charge of an entire arrondissement? It’s not like more than half of the kids in Montmartre look up to you. It’s not like you want to make sure they all have enough food and schooling.”

“Well, that’s just making sure they stay alive. And yeah, maybe I do slip them a franc on good days, but they’re so little and innocent. Who wouldn’t?”

Mick mouthed to Joe and Henri that Leonard should, in fact, run for office. 

“I don’t know, Leonard. I think you’ll do very well for yourself,” Barry said.

Leonard stared at him, saw that he was not entirely joking and put his head in his hands. “Does nobody understand how bad an idea this is? Joe, help me out here. I am a thief and a forger and a bad influence.” 

“Don’t worry. You can’t do worse than Zoom.” Joe patted his shoulder.

“Thanks. And for your information, Inspector, a year ago, I would have shot a cop who patted me on the shoulder, just so you know.”

“And now your gun isn’t even unhooked,” Eddie pointed out.

“I’m losing my edge, in my old age. And there’s talk among the cops up there about mayor of Paris. Could you do something about it?” he said to Joe. “You know I’m not good for it. If anybody goes near my criminal past, they’ll find I have a record. You recognized my name on the spot. And I’d have to be elected to the position of arrondissement mayor by the arrondissement council, who will find my record within five minutes flat. Lacking that, I will give it to them.”

Joe turned to Henri. “I don’t know. Henri, mayor of Paris dating your boy, what do you think?”

“Mayor of Paris. Barry, I like the sound of that, don’t you?” Henri joked.

Joe turned to Eddie. “Think we can make his record go away?”

“You’re both terrible people, just so you know,” Leonard concluded. “Barry, help me out.”

Barry nodded. “You should let them put in your name, so we can get them to pass a law that two men or two women can get married.” He leans over and kisses Leonard on the cheek. Leonard ducked his chin and smiled in that unguarded way he only showed on rare occasions. 

“Oh!” Joe laughed. 

“Way to go, Barry and Leonard!” Cisco laughed. 

“Aren’t they adorable?” Iris said to Henri and Lisa, who nodded. 

“They are so clearly besotted with one another,” Lisa said.

“They clearly are,” Henri nodded.

“They are still listening,” Barry commented.

Leonard laughed. “And if I do get elected, to arrondissement mayor and then if at some future point to mayor of Paris, since you all think that’s a great idea and nothing can possibly go wrong, and when I do get this law passed…”

Barry grinned at him. “Then will you marry me?” 

There were several spit-takes around the room, with Joe, who had been mid swallow, coughing of his coffee. Lisa wasn’t much better. Mick patted Joe on the back. Cisco patted Lisa’s.

Leonard gave a small smile, glanced around the room, before grinning back at Barry. “Alright, Barry. If I ever become mayor and if the city of Paris ever manages to get that law past, I’ll marry you. Does that suit everyone?” A cheer went up around the room. 

\--

Barry went up there again to make sure Leonard’s name was properly put into the running. He needn’t have worried, as a police officer was already coming out from having entered it. Barry stopped him and had a conversation where the police officer said that he used to be corrupt - everybody did – but after Leonard had started cleaning it up, he had been happy to come clean and help him. Barry asked if he wouldn’t mind if he asked how the election was going from time to time. The cop laughed and nodded.

Barry followed the election via newspapers, reports from the police that Barry went to go in his stable hand jacket, and Leonard’s weekly reports at the Ouest-Alain dinner. Therefore, he knew ahead of their weekly meeting that Leonard Snart had been elected arrondissement mayor of the 19th arrondissement. 

Leonard was shell shocked when he found out he had been elected. He was still shell shocked when he came to the Ouest-Alain place later that day. Joe and Barry gathered his coat and led him to the couch. 

“I’m in a political position. What’ll that do to me? I won’t be able to pull another job ever.”

“I think it’s great,” Barry sat in the chair next to Leonard. 

Leonard narrowed his eyes. “You would. I bet you had this planned since you first asked me out to dinner.” A knock sounded from the door.

Barry nodded. “As I recall, it was you who asked me out.”

Wally, Eddie and Joe laughed, and Joe went to get the door. Mick, Ronnie, Cisco and Lisa came into the house. “Mick, help me out. How did I wind up in this?”

Mick raised his eyebrows and chuckled. “Probably the same way I winded up working at STAR Labs. They’re tricky, these cops and scientists.” Mick sat down next to Leonard on the couch. 

Lisa came over and shoved Mick over. “Hey, watch the stomach, will you, Lise? Aren’t you engaged? And a star ballerina? Should you even be doing that?” However, he scooted over. 

"Oh, hush," she said and sat next to him and Leonard. Cisco sat in the chair across from them. 

Leonard put an arm around her. “Hi, sis.”

“Congratulations, Lenny,” she said.

“Congratulations yourself, Star Ballerina.” He smiled at Lisa then over at Cisco. Joe and Wally sat down on the couch next to Barry. Ronnie pulled up a chair. The door sounded again and in came Caitlin, Henri, Clarissa and Stein. “Hello, everyone. So how’d the results go?”

Leonard gaped at everyone. “Wait? You all knew? How?”

Barry grinned. “A little investigating I’ve been doing. I found out when the results would be announced and had everybody on standby. Then I found out the results and ran the news back down here. Iris should be here momentarily. She’s just dropping off the story with a newspaper or two.”

“Barry!” Joe said. “How many times do I have to tell you…?”

Iris let herself into the house. “Dad, tomorrow it will be printed, along with the first chapter of my next novel.” 

“You and Barry are both too much, Mme. Thawne.” Leonard shook his head at the both of them. 

Joe nodded. “That’s what I’ve been saying for years, Leonard.”

Leonard smirked back, then leaned over and kissed Barry.

“As long as kisses are all that you’re going to be stealing, I won’t have a heart attack.”

Leonard laughed and handed Joe back his wallet. “Just to keep in practice.”

Joe narrowed his eyes. “You’d better keep your record clean. If I hear one complaint about you, I’m arresting you on the spot, and then what would Barry, Lisa, Cisco, and Mick do?”

Leonard nodded. “Aww. M. Ouest, I didn’t know you cared.”

\--

Five years later, a man in a blue waistcoat worn now because people recognized him in it entered an office, followed by a man with his coat cut in the style of the Secret Police and the red stripe of the Polytechnique uniform running down his side. The darling of the 19th, as he was called, had won by a landslide, and everyone was hard pressed to remember a time the 18th, 19th and 20th arrondissements; the Gendarmerie; the Paris Opera and High Society where Lisa Star-Ramon was doing quite well; the journal under Iris Thawne; and the Polytechnique under Cisco Star-Ramon, Professor and Doctor Caitlin Raymond, and Professor and Doctor Martin Stein had ever all been in favor of the same person for mayor.

“Well Mayor Snart, welcome to your new office.” Barry grinned at Leonard. “What do plan to do first?”


End file.
